What is 10x content?

One sunny Friday in May of 2015, Rand Fishkin (At the time, one of the minds behind SEO superhouse, the mighty Moz), sat down to create and release the next video in the series ‘Whiteboard Fridays’. In this 10 minute video, he would introduce the world to a relatively simple, but brilliant, new concept - the content quality scale. And thus, 10x content was born. 

The content quality scale is simply a way of quantifiably measuring the value of a single piece of content to its target consumer. It draws a correlation between the effort that goes into a piece and how useful the information in it is.

At the very bottom end of the scale, is what Fishkin describes as ‘thin and largely useless’ - low effort, low value content. At the top of this scale are the insightful articles, carefully crafted by experienced professionals - and these are what we would call ‘10x content’. 

Over time, this idea has developed. Moz now defines 10x content as content that is 10 times better than the highest ranking piece of content for a specific keyword- the creation of 10x content is just as much an SEO strategy as it is a content strategy. To fall under the umbrella of 10x, a piece should incorporate the following criteria: 

• Has great UI and UX on any device.

• Is a combination of high quality, trustworthy, useful, interesting, and remarkable.

• Is considerably different in scope and in detail from other works that are serving the same visitor or user intent.

• Creates an emotional response. 

• Solves a problem or answers a question by providing comprehensive, accurate, exceptional information or resources.

• Delivers content in a unique, remarkable, unexpectedly pleasurable style or medium.

No big ask, right?

Why is 10x content still relevant?

By now, we’re sure you understand that content is pivotal in building and maintaining an SEO strategy (If you’re new to marketing and this has totally lost you, we’d recommend this guide from Yoast for getting to grips with the basics), so we won’t bore you by explaining it again. We also think that the core principles of 10x are an excellent rule of thumb when creating content, for any purpose. 

What’s more, the most recent update of the Google algorithm has once again proved the rationale behind 10x to be evergreen. Known as the ‘helpful content’ update, it will prioritise expert or unique content over other previously ranking factors. Given all we know about Google and its algorithm, this did not come as a shock. 

As marketers, we should gravitate towards ‘helpful content’ anyway, but this most recent update seems to be telling us, above all else, to stay in our lanes -  but more on that later. 

The challenges 

We’re sure you’re all familiar with this conundrum, so we won’t sugar coat it. Standing out is hard. 

Creating content that is better than the most successful existing piece on that topic can be tough - and doing it every month can feel like a big ask. With so many voices in any one space, how do you make yours heard?

Plus, content shock is real. It’s estimated that 2.75 million blog posts are published every single day - the sheer amount of content available on the internet vastly outweighs the amount of time available to read it. And users don’t want to read about the same topics over and over again. They want fresh ideas, new information. 

Don’t find yourself in the trap of creating content for the sake of creating content. Quality is better than quantity. Creating genuinely valuable content in your area of expertise will not only improve the quality of your content - it will also be easier and more enjoyable to create. 

The Curious Cat Guide to 10x Content 

Understanding why you need to be sharing great content is one thing. Actually creating it is a different beast entirely. So we’ve taken the key  10x steps, and added a sprinkling of wise cat advice. 

The why of it all

The first step in creating 10x content, Rand tells us, is to understand what our customers are searching for. This goes a little deeper than looking at search queries. At this stage, we are seeking to understand the intent behind the search - the problem the searcher is looking for a solution to.

For example, to arrive at this page, you may have searched for ‘what is 10x content?’. Underneath this search query, however, you may be asking other questions. How can I improve my search engine rankings? Why are my audience not engaging with my content? And so on and so forth.

We at Curious Cat understand this, so in this piece, we have sought to dig a little deeper, and answer those other questions, too. Tools like customer personas can be valuable at this stage - check out our blog on customer centric marketing for tips on getting started.

Tip: Set reasonable expectations at this stage. Conduct thorough keyword research and assess the search engine results page (SERP) for your chosen keyword. Who is in the top spot? Can you feasibly compete against the competition? If not, try another keyword. 

What’s missing?

To create content that is 10x better than the piece in pole position for a chosen search term, you first have to understand what you’re up against. What about that content has earned it the top spot? To many marketers, this may feel like a familiar process - often when conducting a competitor audit, you look more for what is not being done than what actually is being done, to identify possible opportunities. 

This is where we can look at the concept of pogo sticking - another Moz phrase. This is the phrase they use to describe when a user ‘bounces’ (like on a pogo stick - get it?) from different pages on a SERP, because they have not yet found the answers they were looking for. In this stage, look to understand if content really is answering the question that has been typed into the search bar.

Usability and performance metrics 

The best written content in the world will still never be successful without good user experience. This was true when Rand Fishkin first started talking about 10x content, and it’s even more true now. With hundreds of competitors for search engine rankings, if your page takes too long to load, if the design of the page looks amateur, or if the layout looks overwhelming, a user will simply skip on to the next page. 

Plus, page and site performance are a key factor in search engine algorithms, so if they are below expectations, your content may simply disappear into an internet black hole, banished to the thirteenth page of search engine results. 

To improve the user experience of your page, there are a couple of key things to consider: 

• Is this page mobile friendly? 63% of Google searches are thought to be from mobile devices. This is also where your research can come into play - when something happens to prompt a Google search, does your target audience reach for their laptop, or their phone? 

• How digestible is the information on this page? Large walls of text can be intimidating - can you break it up with bullet points? Will subheadings help a user find the information they’re looking for? 

• How long does it take this page to load? There are some best practices here, like reducing use of web-fonts and ensuring any images used on a page are compressed - but for more complex technical fixes, you may need to involve either a developer or your tech team. 

‘Unexpectedly pleasurable’... Erm, what?! 

The 10x framework dictates that 10x content should be unique and engaging - that audiences will find value from it because it’s something they haven’t seen before.

A good rule of thumb is to create the content that you want to see - think about all the content you’ve read and enjoyed online recently. It doesn’t matter where you read it or what it was about. Think about why you enjoyed it. It could be anything from how it was presented, to the tone of voice. 

Apply these same thoughts to your own content - is it information you would otherwise enjoy reading or gain value from? If not, why? Understanding what turns a good idea into a bad piece of content can also be incredibly valuable, and help you to refine your content creation strategy. 

Tip:  Identifying core content pillars (and sticking to them!) helps to plan for future content. Choose some of your core expert topics, so not only is your content providing valuable insight, it’s developing a reputation as an expert in a few key areas. Read our blog on Fintech content marketing for more tips. 

How Curious Cat can help

The term ‘10x marketing’ is, at time of writing, seven years old, but the concept behind it is far older. When Curious Cat was founded, the term didn’t exist, but the principles of 10x have always been at the core of our content strategies. We are always looking for new ways of doing things or how we can improve what we are doing - curiosity is in our nature. 

If you’re stuck in a groove with your content, are struggling to define your audience, or aren’t sure how to increase your visibility online, Curious Cat can help. Book a strategy call with us to discuss your requirements.