Some of the best ways to build engagement and increase social shares is by researching your competition. They have been in the industry longer and have built a solid link profile over the years. If you can find a way to go over their entire link profile and build links from the EXACT same places, then you can definitely find an effective way to increase your rankings. Over the last months I have been using Ahrefs.com to study my competitors and who is linking to them however I recently started to make use of their content explorer which works in the same way as Topsy.com and Buzzumo.com. I personally think it works better because everything is compressed into one tool which makes it much easier to conduct accurate research. If you are unaware of Ahrefs.com content explorer, then you can have a quick look before getting into the tutorial.
Let’s get started on this quick tutorial on how to use content explorer to find popular posts you can revive.
Target Keyword Niche
As mentioned before starting anything you have to have your focus keywords in place. By having a handful of keywords which are targeted to your niche will provide you with guidance when moving forward. By having focus keywords in place, you know how to set the foundation and know where to focus your attention. In Ahrefs.com, you simply have to type in your target keyword and press “searchâ€. The tool will generate a whole set of results which you can now start to filter depending on your requirements which will be one of the following.
First, you can find popular content which has been shared on many different platforms. By focusing on competitor content with the highest shares, you know if you create something better it can generate even more buzz. Secondly, you can simply research backlinks pointing to the content with the hopes of securing the same authority backlinks. It’s a great way to perform keyword backlinking research which otherwise would have consumed enormous time.
Research Competitors
Through Ahrefs.com Content Explorer, there are a few ways to research your competition. However, I usually stick to “2†ways that provide me with the information I am looking for. First, you have to decide if you are researching content or backlinks because this will help you filter correctly. For example, if you are researching popular content for social shares then filter using the “Total Sharesâ€.
Or,
Once you have filtered the results, you can click on the “Referring Domains (RD)†and find backlinks pointing to the content. However, keep in mind before you start doing backlink research it’s important to always filter to the MOST popular content for accurate results. You can also use some of the other filtration options on in the left-hand column to do a precise search as per your requirements. Once you have filtered the results then simply click on the number below the (RD) section to view all the referring domains for that content.
Research Trends
Ahrefs.com Content Explorer offers a great section to research the trends building with “targeted†keywords. With this section, you can find out what trends are developing and where to focus your attention. The internet is fast changing so the rates at which the developments are happening are rapid. Using this tool you can find trends quickly and then write content focusing on new keywords picking up momentum.
To view the trends simply click on the “Trends†link at the top next to Table and Tile.
What’s next?
Once you have all the information, you need it’s important to focus on your objective. If you are building links, then focus on getting high authority links from relevant websites and spread out the link building process. If you want to write content than research other relevant content so you can put together something more in-depth and value than your competitors. My goal is to create something better than the top shared content because if you do you are guaranteed to create a bigger buzz on social platforms.