Content Curation for SEO: Boosting Your Website's Visibility

Intro

Nowadays, it is difficult to find relevant and valuable information. Do you know why?

Due to the availability of overwhelming amounts of information on every topic on the internet, finding any information on the web feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. You can use this situation to your favor with the help of content curation.

Source: Willow

Do you know the true essence of SEO-friendly content curation?

It lies in monitoring and tracking the performance of your website's keywords and search engine rankings.

Now, you need tools like RankTracker, our powerful SEO tracking tool that allows website owners to monitor keyword rankings across various search engines.

Let’s get into how content curation boosts your website’s visibility.

Understanding Content Curation

Content curation refers to discovering, gathering, organizing, and sharing relevant and valuable content from various sources with your audience.

Instead of creating original content, content curators sift through a vast array of existing content, including articles, videos, infographics, podcasts, and more. They find the most relevant and high-quality pieces for their audience.

Effective content curation for SEO is a strategic approach to help your audience find “hidden gems” that are difficult to see otherwise.

Content curation offers many benefits for website owners and marketers. It:

• Saves time and resources by leveraging existing content.
• Establishes authority and credibility in the niche.
• Drives higher engagement levels with relevant content.
• Improves SEO performance through regular updates.
• Diversify content offerings to cater to varied preferences.
• Provides cost-effective content creation solutions.
• Strengthens relationships with industry peers through collaboration.

Different Types of Content Curation Strategies

Source: Byotnetwork

1. Aggregation

Here, you gather content from various sources and present it in one place. You can use websites like Flipboard and Feedly to do this for inspiration.

2. Distillation

Some readers need a quick overview of the most important events without reading lengthy articles. Distillation allows you to summarize or extract key points from existing content to provide concise information. TheSkimm is a newsletter that distills the day's top news stories into bite-sized summaries.

3. Elevation

It means highlighting the most valuable and relevant content within a specific niche. GrowthHackers curates content on growth marketing, highlighting articles, case studies, and discussions so their readers can easily access actionable insights and strategies.

4. Mashup

Mashup means combining or repurposing curated content to create something new and unique. TED-Ed is the best example as they create educational videos by mashing up TED Talks with animation and additional explanations.

5. Chronology

Organize content based on its publication date or relevance to current events. The same thing is happening in The New York Times' "The Daily" podcast. These podcasts give listeners a chronological rundown of the day's top news stories, offering in-depth analysis and interviews to provide context and understanding of current events.

Identifying High-Quality Content

How do you identify high-quality content?

Follow these criteria:

• Content should be directly related to your audience's interests, needs, and preferences. The basic idea is to address common pain points or solve their problems.
• Content should be factually accurate and supported by reliable sources. Avoid sharing misinformation or content with dubious credibility.
• Choose content from reputable sources and established experts in the field. Look for content creators with a track record of producing accurate, insightful, and well-researched material.
• Consider the level of engagement the content has generated, such as likes, shares, comments, and backlinks. Content that sparks conversations and resonates with the audience is more likely to be valuable.
• Select content that is well-written, organized, and easy to understand. Avoid content that is overly complex, poorly structured, or riddled with grammatical errors.
• Look for content that offers a unique perspective, fresh insights, or original research findings. Avoid sharing content that is overly repetitive or lacks novelty.

Relevance ensures that curated content aligns with the target audience's interests, needs, and preferences. So, curate original and relevant content from authoritative sources to enhance your credibility and trustworthiness as a reliable source of information within your industry.

Remember: original content sets you apart from competitors and reinforces your brand's unique voice and perspective.

Here are some tools and techniques that can help you find relevant and authoritative sources for SEO-friendly content curation:

Source: Rockcontent

1. Google Alerts: Set up alerts for relevant keywords or topics to receive notifications about new content published online.
2. Social Media Monitoring Tools: Monitor social media platforms using tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social to identify popular content and trending topics within your industry.
3. **RSS Readers: **Use RSS readers like Feedly or Flipboard to aggregate content from multiple sources and stay updated on industry news and trends.
4. Content Discovery Platforms: Platforms like BuzzSumo or ContentGems help you discover trending content, identify influential authors, and track content performance.
5. Expert Interviews and Surveys: Conduct survey or interviews with industry experts to gather valuable insights and perspectives that can be curated into content.
6. Content Curation Software: Utilize content curation tools such as RankTracker, Curata, or Scoop.it to streamline the process of discovering, organizing, and sharing curated content.

Optimizing Curated Content for SEO

Curated content can be a valuable asset for SEO when optimized effectively.

Source: contentatscale

Here are some best practices for SEO content optimization for search engines:

• Curate content that is relevant to your target audience and aligns with your website's overall theme and focus.
• Provide additional insights, commentary, or context to curated content to make it more valuable to your audience.
• Craft compelling and keyword-rich title tags and meta descriptions for curated content to improve click-through rates in search engine results pages (SERPs).
• Create descriptive and SEO-friendly URLs for curated content that include relevant keywords and accurately reflect the content's topic.
• Implement structured data markup, such as Schema.org markup, to provide search engines with additional context about your curated content.
• Internal linking helps search engines understand the relationships between different pages on your site and can improve overall site authority and ranking.
• Track metrics such as organic traffic, engagement, and conversion rates to identify areas for improvement and optimization.

Utilizing Keywords and Metadata Effectively

• Use tools like Ranktracker, Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to discover high-volume and low-competition keywords.
• Incorporate target keywords throughout your curated content, including titles, headings, subheadings, and body text.
• Write descriptive and keyword-rich meta titles and meta descriptions for curated content.
• Optimize images used in curated content by adding descriptive alt text and filenames with relevant keywords.

Building an Effective Content Curation Strategy

Source: Fastercapital

To build an effective content curation strategy, follow these steps.

Define Your Purpose

Determine why you're curating content. Answer the following questions:

• Is it to educate your audience?
• Do you want to establish thought leadership?
• Do you want to drive traffic or foster engagement?

Identify Target Audience

Understand your audience and what type of content they find valuable. It will help your designers create curated content to meet their interests, needs, and preferences.

Set Measurable Goals

Establish specific, measurable goals for your content curation strategy, such as increasing website traffic, growing social media followers, or improving engagement metrics. Set benchmarks to track progress and measure success.

How to Establish a Content Curation Workflow?

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• Use tools like RSS feeds, social media monitoring, content discovery platforms, and industry newsletters to find relevant content from trusted sources.
• Evaluate curated content based on relevance, accuracy, authority, engagement, and uniqueness criteria. Select only high-quality content that aligns with your goals and audience's interests.
• Organize curated content into categories or themes to make it easily accessible and navigable for your audience. Use tags, labels, or filters to enhance organization and facilitate content discovery.
• Determine how you'll present curated content to your audience. This could include blog posts, email newsletters, social media posts, curated collections, or resource libraries.
• Share curated content across your digital channels, including your website, blog, social media platforms, email newsletters, and other relevant channels. Ensure consistent branding and messaging across all channels.
• Encourage audience engagement with curated content by inviting comments, questions, and discussions. Respond promptly to audience feedback and foster a community around curated content.

Tips for Consistent and Sustainable Content Curation Practices

1. Create a Content Calendar:

Source: planable

Plan your content curation schedule by creating a content calendar. It will help you schedule regular time for content discovery, evaluation, creation, and sharing to maintain consistency.

2. Automate Where Possible

Use automation tools and workflows to streamline content curation tasks, such as:

• Scheduling social media posts
• Setting up RSS feeds
• Automating email newsletters
• Automating social media marketing processes

These tools will help you automate your content curation process.

3. Curate Evergreen Content

Remember, evergreen content provides long-term value and can reduce the frequency of content updates. So, balance curated content with evergreen content that remains relevant over time.

4. Monitor Performance

Regularly monitor the performance of your curated content using analytics tools. Track key metrics such as website traffic, engagement, social shares, and conversion rates.

5. Iterate and Improve

Continuously evaluate and refine your content curation strategy based on feedback, analytics, and evolving audience preferences. Make sure to experiment with different types of content, formats, and distribution channels to optimize results.

Leveraging Curated Content for Link Building

You can earn backlinks with the use of curated content. Here are some strategies for your assistance:

Source: digittymarketing

• Compile curated lists of valuable resources, tools, or articles relevant to your niche. Contact relevant websites, bloggers, and influencers to offer your curated list as a valuable resource they can link to from their content.
• Curate insights and opinions from industry experts on a specific topic. After publishing the roundup post, notify the participants and encourage them to share it with their audiences. Many experts will naturally link to the roundup post from their websites or social media platforms.
• You can curate visually appealing infographics, charts, or visual content containing valuable information or insights. Offer these visual assets to other websites and bloggers within your industry for use in their content, with proper attribution and a link to your website.
• Keep an eye on trending topics, news, or events within your industry and curate content that provides unique insights or perspectives on these subjects.

High-quality curated content that offers valuable insights and resources is more likely to attract backlinks from authoritative websites and influencers within your niche.

Always prioritize quality over quantity to ensure that your curated content remains valuable and relevant over time. This can lead to more sustainable link-building efforts and long-term website SEO benefits.

You can also use outreach tactics such as the following.

Personalized Email Outreach

Source: globexoutreach

In the first step, find influencers, bloggers, and publishers who might find your curated content valuable. Now craft personalized email outreach to highlight the relevance and value of your curated content and explain why it would benefit their audience.

Engage on Social Media

You can use social media to engage with influencers and publishers. Share your curated content and tag them in relevant posts. It is a good way to capture their attention and encourage them to check out your content.

Offer Exclusive Access

Give influencers and publishers exclusive access to your curated content before it's officially published. This exclusivity can make them feel special and more inclined to share or link to your content.

Provide Customized Recommendations

Tailor your outreach efforts by providing customized content recommendations based on the interests and preferences of each influencer or publisher. Demonstrate how your curated content aligns with their audience and content strategy.

Measuring the Impact of Content Curation on SEO

Here are the KPIs to know:

• Organic Traffic: Monitor the increase in organic traffic to your website.
• Backlinks: Utilize a backlink checker to monitor both the quantity and quality of backlinks acquired through curated content.
• Engagement Metrics: Analyze engagement metrics such as time on page, bounce rate, and social shares for curated content.
• Keyword Rankings: Monitor changes in keyword rankings for targeted keywords related to your curated content.
• Referral Traffic: Measure the amount of referral traffic coming to your website from other websites linking to your curated content.

Source: LinkedIn

Some tools you can use for tracking purpose include:

• Google Analytics: Use Google Analytics to track organic traffic, referral traffic, engagement metrics, and conversion rates.
• Google Search Console: Monitor your website's impressions, clicks, and average position for curated content.
• **Backlink Analysis Tools: **Utilize tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush to analyze backlinks to your website and curated content.
• Social Media Analytics: Track engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates for curated content shared on social media platforms.
• Keyword Ranking Tools: Use keyword ranking tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to monitor changes in keyword rankings for targeted keywords related to your curated content.

You can also analyze the performance of curated content over time, including:

• Changes in organic traffic
• Backlinks
• Engagement metrics
• Keyword rankings

Look for trends and correlations between content curation efforts and improvements in website visibility.

Compare your website’s performance with competitors who also engage in content curation. Analyze their curated content strategies, backlink profiles, and keyword rankings to identify opportunities for improvement and optimization.

Challenges and Pitfalls to Avoid

It can be challenging to consistently find high-quality content that aligns with your audience's interests and adds value to your website.

You may find it difficult to maintain a consistent content curation schedule, especially for busy website owners or marketers.** **

Strike the right balance between quantity and quality in content curation. Though it can be challenging, it's essential to publish content regularly.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid in content curation for SEO.

Don’t Rely on Duplicate Content

Don’t copy and paste content from other sources without adding value or originality. Instead, provide insights, commentary, or additional context to differentiate your curated content and avoid duplicate content penalties from search engines.

Don’t Ignore Copyright Laws

Be mindful of copyright laws and always obtain proper permission or give credit when curating content from other sources. If you fail to do so, it will cause legal issues and damage your website's reputation.

Don’t Neglect Quality Control

Don't compromise on the quality of curated content in favor of quantity. Always prioritize high-quality, relevant content that provides value to your audience. Poorly curated content can harm your website's credibility and SEO performance.

Lack of Attribution

If you fail to give credit to the original creators, it can lead to credibility issues and damage relationships with content creators and publishers. For this reason, you should ensure proper attribution and linking back to the original source when curating content.

Wondering how to overcome these challenges?

• Explore RSS readers, content aggregator websites, and social media monitoring tools to discover relevant content from trusted sources.
• Create a documented content curation strategy outlining your goals, target audience, content selection criteria, and publishing schedule.
• Diversify your curated content by including a variety of content formats, such as articles, quizzes, videos, infographics, podcasts, and case studies.
• Build relationships with content creators, influencers, and publishers within your niche. Engage with them on social media, share their content, and participate in relevant discussions to establish rapport and earn opportunities for collaboration and backlinking.

Unleashing the Power of Curated Content for SEO Success

Effective content curation isn't just about sharing information. It's about crafting valuable experiences for your audience to enrich your website and help you establish authority, foster engagement, and drive organic traffic.

Now is the time to take action. Develop a well-defined strategy, invest in the right tools, and consistently deliver curated content that resonates with your audience.

Embrace the art of content curation with a purpose.