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| Taking a look at your old content can reveal much. |
Do you check up on your content once
you've written it? Doing so can help you decide what topics to write
about. About once a month, I go through my content to see which
articles have been the most successful. This tells me a lot about
what I should be writing and which topics to leave behind. It's not
just about topics, though. By checking the page views, highest view
dates and more, you can actually formulate a plan for greater
success. Here's why.
Analyzing your content can help
reveal many rules of writing that you've missed.
Say that you're a bit lax in getting
educated. You're not one to seek advice and tips on writing. That's
OK. Experience and a good look at content performance can teach you a
lot of rules you have missed along the way. For instance, I've
noticed that the more familiar I am with a subject, the more popular
any articles I've written on that subject are. Thus, proving the rule
of “Write what you know.”
The rules are not the same for
everyone.
By analyzing your content, you see,
first hand exactly how the rules apply to you, personally. My
writing, vegan, gardening and natural health articles do best because
I'm passionate about those subjects. It shows in my writing.
Injecting my sense of humor and quirky, snarky personality also works
well for me. My page views increase greatly when I'm in a happy mood.
Of course, those subjects and methods may not work for everyone.
That's why it's important for writers to assess their own articles.
Look deeper.
I've noticed that when I answer
questions commonly asked, my page views sky-rocket. In these cases,
the subject matter doesn't seem to be as important as providing a
quick answer. My all time best performer is an article about
recognizing spider bites. It's not one of my pet subjects. It is,
however, something a lot of people look up on the internet when
they've been bitten. That tells me that while it's important to be
passionate about your subject, it's even more important to fill a
need. Therefore....
Surprise! Selling articles is the
same as selling products.
The most successful products provide
something that fills a need. Why should articles be any different? If
you study your most successful content, you will find that it most
likely filled a need people had at the time you wrote it. That's
true, whether you're talking celebrity gossip or how to get rid of
stink-bugs. Anything that people needed to know when you wrote the
article will generate a ton of page views.
Checking the archives.
Sometimes when an event happens, you
might recall that you've already written an article on that very
subject. By pouring through your content on a regular basis, you're
more likely to remember that article. Now, you can find and promote
it more quickly. Don't wait for fate to drag it out of the depths.
Pay attention to trends and promote those old “loser” articles.
You might turn them into winners.
Reinforcing familiarity with your
own content.
There is so much you can learn by
regularly analyzing article performance. I could never put it all
into one article. Plus, there are likely factors about your content
that differ from mine. Taking the time to look back on your old work
will help you decide what approaches, subjects and techniques to use
in the future. Don't skip this important step that can not only help
you correct old mistakes, but prevent you from making new ones.
