The more content you have on any given topic, the more of an expert you appear to humans and search engines. In fact, you can become the go-to source of information for specific topics, which could net you a lot of traffic. So, how much content do you need?
It’s not a case of how many posts, but the overall quality you deliver. Diving deep and answering as many questions as you can in a piece of content denotes expertise and professionalism.
Not to mention being a factor that Google appreciates when it comes time to index your blog.
Why Does Being an Expert Matter?
The more you know about a topic, the more successful your career. This is true regardless of the industry. Those who denote a high level of expertise and skill are often paid more with a greater level of opportunities.
In the case of blogging, it’ll result in Google showing your content more often and visitors trusting your input. The side effects include higher payouts from ad-sharing networks, more sales from affiliate links, greater interest in sponsored content, and much more.
In fact, “Expertise” is part of Google’s quality content acronym, E-E-A-T. It’s what Google’s reviewers use to assess content and whether it is of high quality.
Of course, you don’t want to try to “fake it until you make it.” Part of delivering quality is basing content on factual information, which helps solidify whether people view you as an expert.
Let’s take myself, for example. WriterSanctuary is still considered a good source of information regarding Textbroker, the content mill that started my writing journey. Part of that is because I demonstrated a great deal of experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
A lot of the Textbroker content still shows up on Google and YouTube, despite that I haven’t written for Textbroker since 2018. That’s because I focused on evergreen content and delivered a high level of quality over the years.
How Much Content Do You Need as an Expert?
Unfortunately, there’s no quantifiable number that we know of that triggers Google to view any blogger as an expert. It all comes down to thoroughly covering topics centered around the product or service.
In the case of Textbroker, I have 45 pieces of content on the site ranging from writing the sample article when you start an account to tactics for becoming a four-star writer. I also estimate that I wrote over 100,000 words concerning Textbroker – longer than a lot of full-length novels.
Sadly, a lot of the older pieces got messed up and butchered when I transferred the site from Hostgator. Luckily, I’m still viewed as somewhat of an expert today, though.
Currently, I’m working on building my reputation while working with Reedsy and a few other subjects. And a lot of my content comes up in search for “reedsy,” both for the blog and YouTube channel.
My point is that it might take a few dozen articles that are thoroughly explored for the topic, or it might only take ten or so. It really depends on the topic itself and how deeply you explore each subtopic.
Something else you also want to consider is both Google and YouTube rank sites that are consistent with the information.
I’m no longer viewed in the top three channels on YouTube for Textbroker because I haven’t covered the topic in a couple of years. And most of the Textbroker articles are no longer in the top 10 of Google for their keywords.
However, I’m gaining traction when it comes to Reedsy. That’s because I’ve created a lot of content recently about the platform.
So, the amount of content doesn’t matter as much as long as you answer as many questions as you can and people leave feeling fulfilled with the information. You don’t want people to go back to Google and ask the same question.
What Can You Do to Boost Your Expertise?
Although Google doesn’t come right out and say how much content you need to denote expertise, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances.
- Aim for more than 2,000 words, but don’t fill it with fluff and filler
Articles that are longer than 2,000 words are often rich with information about the topic. However, you don’t want to fill content with fluff. Some topics just don’t have enough meat to hit 2,000 words, and that’s OK. - Ask yourself questions while writing about the topic
I often try to keep in mind the “who, what, where, why, and how” of basic writing while covering subject matter. Ask yourself questions about what you’re writing and see if you can answer them. - Use your own experiences to sweeten the pot
I’ll go over why experiences matter in a moment, but it’s always good to add them to your content. People want to know that you’ve experienced the things about which you’re writing. - Cite sources and factual information
Adding statistics or linking to respected and factual sources helps. It denotes that you’re interested in providing the best information possible, even if it’s coming from a competing blog for your niche. - Learn more about the subject matter
Education is a wondrous thing, and the more you learn about the topic, the more valuable you become. Don’t be afraid to take to Google or YouTube and expand your toolbox of knowledge, as it’ll make you appear more of an expert while writing. - Write often and explore subtopics
As I pointed out earlier, consistency is a key element for search engines. Not every blog post has to be about a specific topic, but mixing it in a few times every month or so keeps your site in high regard for both people and bots.
3 Content Strategies to Help You Seem More Like
Having a good content strategy for your specific website can do wonders for its success. It helps you stay focused while helping you explore high-quality topics for your audience.
For instance, one of my content strategies is to continue exploring the different tools, features, and services surrounding Reedsy Studio. Doing so is improving my reputation on both Google and YouTube for Reedsy.
So, what are some content strategies that can help you build expertise?
Setting up a Blog-to-Book Spreadsheet
One content strategy I’ve been putting a lot of effort into recently is creating a blog-to-book layout in a spreadsheet. Essentially, each post is a “chapter” of the book, which I plan on converting when it’s complete.
The idea is to create a series of blog posts in chronological order covering the overall subject.
For instance, I am currently working on an eBook idea for publishing a book to Amazon starting with the idea for the story. Each blog post has its own subtopic going over everything from needing a degree to building a blog as an author.
I’m also tracking a few stats for each post such as traffic and AdSense income, but this isn’t necessary.
The way this works is by helping you come up with quality topics that you would write about if you were going to publish a book about the subject matter. You don’t necessarily have to publish an eBook, but the strategy is sound for thoroughly covering the overall information.
I plan on uploading these as free eBooks to MichaelBrockbank.com once they are complete. Currently, I’m working on several blog-to-book ideas as I don’t want to bore visitors by covering just a single topic for months on end.
Using Tags as a Meter for Expertise
Another method I use to help keep me motivated to create expert content is using tags in WordPress. Tags and categories are the default methods for organizing content on the blog. They are quite helpful for keeping topics connected throughout the website.
If you go to “Posts” and click the “Tags” function, you can organize the list according to the number of blog posts you’ve created with those specific terms. Currently, “Textbroker” is the number one topic on this blog, which I’m currently trying to bury.
Because I use relevant tags in most of my content, I know how often I write about specific topics. Then, I try to cover information that will move that particular tag to the top of the list.
When you combine the use of tags with the blog-to-book strategy, you’ll see the content move up the list quite quickly. And when someone clicks on those tags from an article, they can see all of the subtopics you’ve covered on the site.
I also use the Cool Tag Cloud plugin to show the most covered topics in the sidebar. The plugin hasn’t been updated in a couple of years, and I’m currently looking for a replacement. However, it still works for what I need.
If you look to the side (desktop) or scroll to the bottom (mobile), you’ll see the top-covered topics on WriterSanctuary according to published posts. I thought it was a fun idea to highlight what I currently find to be the most important information.
The Skyscraper Method
I learned about the Skyscraper Method from Backlinko many years ago. After implementing it for clients, I saw just how effective it was and still is today. So, obviously, I’m going to implement it into my own content strategies.
The gist of the Skyscraper Method is to find a piece of content that performs relatively well in Google for your search phrase. Then, see what you can do to make it even better using your own voice and experiences.
Here comes the more difficult part, though – Google doesn’t like cookie-cutter posts. So, you want to do everything possible to deliver better content if you want to be seen as an expert by the search engine.
That means if you create a list of tools, you need to add something more in value than just a list. This could include things like adding an FAQ section, a tutorial, or diving deep into specific questions about that particular list.
The bottom line is that you want to go well above and beyond someone else’s content to make yours bigger and better.
When I compare my content to someone else’s, the first thing I do is calculate the word count. Then, I aim to go beyond that by adding at least one hundred words while figuring out what people want that may be more helpful.
It takes a bit of time and practice, but it’s a content strategy I’ve been using for years to help boost myself as an expert. Not to mention how well it works for a variety of clients.
Just remember that you don’t want to add filler and fluff to make a certain word count. Google thrives on quality, and cramming words in just to make the post look bigger only hurts your cause.
Experiences Matter More Than Ever Today
In December of 2022, Google added “Experience” to the EAT acronym. That’s because personal experience lends to a variety of elements that Google prioritizes for indexing quality content. Plus, it helps separate you from competitors by giving the content a unique perspective.
In a nutshell, it delivers a first-hand experience of the topic.
Experience also lends to authenticity in the content. It’s one of the most frequent comments I get on YouTube because I share what I’ve experienced with various products and services. I don’t blow rainbow and sunshine in your face if a product truly sucks.
I also don’t review products and services I’ve never tried. How can one claim something is the “best” if they’ve never used it?
Perhaps one of the more important reasons why experience is so effective today in content is because it demonstrates your abilities as an expert in your field. It boosts credibility if you know the ins and outs of the subject at hand.
Something else to consider is how often experience leads to providing support and advice, even if indirectly. A good example of this is how I’ve helped a few people figure out how to use various writing apps by showing how I overcame certain problems.
Even on YouTube, I help people in the comment section all the time, which improves their impression of me as an expert.
What If You Don’t Have Experience?
One of the reasons why I like the blog-to-book and tags strategies is because they help you develop that experience. By covering the topics in full, you begin learning and growing your expertise. This is primarily how I became an expert with Textbroker.
Remember those 45 articles I mentioned earlier? They started as a log of my experiences using the content mill. I was documenting my journey to become a full-time freelance writer.
The end result was being able to quit my job at the school district and build a blog that helped hundreds find their paths as writers.
You don’t have to be an expert to start writing content. We all have to start somewhere, and blogging about your experiences at the very beginning helps with authenticity and trustworthiness, especially if you’re honest about your progression.
Just keep in mind that it can take quite a bit of time before your content denotes you as an expert in your niche.
Where Will Your Expertise Lie?
I’m a firm believer that everyone has something which they can be labeled as an ace. However, not all of those skills will translate well to a blog format. After all, there has to be an audience for a blog to be successful.
Nonetheless, there are all kinds of things in the world that you might be interested in covering. And with the sum of human knowledge at your fingertips on search engines, you can learn damn near everything.
Find a niche or topic that interests you and go all in.
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