High-performance content: optimized for man and machine

High-performance content" refers to high-quality content that ranks particularly well with search engines, i.e. is displayed at least on the first search results page. High-performance content formats are also used. This is because certain content formats are particularly suitable for each target group and topic. These include rubrics, glossaries, blog articles, videos, white papers, as well as listicles and interviews. Once defined for an area of the website, a content format can be used as a template over and over again. This saves time and resources.

The success of the content becomes measurable, for example through conversions. For this, it is particularly important to define the goal of the content in advance. Which conversion should be increased? This can be a download, the filling out of a form, the actual sale or even another interaction.

This can be applied not only to your website, but also to all other platforms on which you communicate: Focus on conversions, i.e. your goals, is more important than the general content marketing basic noise according to the motto "The main thing is to show presence".

With the right content format, you can increase the visibility of your website by 100 percent or even more . (cf. Sources) But to do this, it must be optimally adapted to the needs of humans and machines.

Depending on the topic and search intent, some content formats are more suitable than others, because each content format fulfills different needs. A user searching for a technical term will most likely be looking for an explanation. So here, for example, a glossary article would be the right content format. Other possible formats include listicles, videos, columns, blog articles, whitepapers, or interviews.

This means: Check the search results on the first page of Google and what your competitors are doing. If the content format fulfills the search intention, the resulting positive user signals are rewarded by the search engine and the content ranks accordingly high. For this to happen, however, the content must also deliver what the format promises.

• When was the content successful for you? Do incoming orders, increased visibility and / or other user interactions count for you?
• Which numbers do you need for your KPIs? Don't collect all the data you can, but mainly the data you really need: Big Data vs. Meaningful Data.
• What tools do you need to measure this?
• Weigh the cost-benefit ratio for your tracking, both for the tools and for the user experience: How many cookies are reasonable for your target audience?
• What works technically and is it DSGVO compliant? Do you need to adjust your cookie information?

High-performance content also supports your social media channels. And here, too, there can be measurable high-performance content. Because pre-determined interactions that are to be achieved can also be fulfilled via social media - from likes and subscribers to website referrals and article purchases. It is important to be aware that social media plays its own role in the communication cycle as a powerful lever for awareness, brand image and customer loyalty. And it should also be measured against this. Because here, too, it is true that those who operate the algorithm can significantly increase the corresponding KPIs. However, it must be taken into account that different platforms mean different logics, which must be understood in order to increase performance.

This also requires good content that serves both user interest on social media and the complex algorithms.

A good example of this is industrial group ThyssenKrupp: The group has a high visibility on social media. It shares, among others on Instagram and LinkedIn, channel-specific and target group-specific different information and formats. On Instagram, ThyssenKrupp relies on high-quality, proprietary images and short videos. In the Story, the company also sometimes has a small quiz, perfect for encouraging user interaction. On LinkedIn, on the other hand, there is a mix of classic link posts and videos with information about the company. The target group here includes potential new employees.

High-performance content can only be created if all the framework conditions are right. Technology, UX and content must work together: The entire digital customer experience must be considered.

• The content format and content can be as good as it is: If you don't serve the search intent, no one will be interested in the content. You need to know your target audience and their needs very well.
• If the content is not presented in a clear and appealing way and users can't find their way around, no positive user signals will be sent to the search engine. Thus, the content will not make it to the top of the SERPs.
• Of course, the basic technical requirements for a good ranking must also be met. Because if technically wrong signals are sent to the search engine, such as a very long page loading time, the algorithms will punish this.

As a basis, you should therefore develop an SEO and content strategy, so that you do not run blindly on it. You can then build on this and go into concrete implementation.

Simply writing beautiful texts is not enough to convince the target group. Increase the visibility of your brand in search engines and social media with high-performance content. Convince your users and the algorithms of Google & Co of your content to get higher conversions.

Once you've identified the right content format(Create. Test. Measure. Repeat. Work with the best.), you can reuse it as a template to create high-performance content especially effectively.

But remember, to create high-performance content, you must have the entire digital customer experience in mind.

Source: Sistrix ,"High Performance Content", last accessed on 02.03.2022