Content Research (or How to Tell If Your Content is Broken)

In-depth understanding of content: Go beyond data analysis and insight into real users' interactions

This article explores how to conduct content research to gain insight into the true way users interact with content, rather than relying solely on data analysis. We will explain the content research process and share some practical tips to help you improve the effectiveness of content and avoid common misunderstandings.

Content effect evaluation: Beyond data analysis

In the age of data first, website owners usually rely on website analysis tools to evaluate content effectiveness, such as page views, bounce rates, conversion rates, etc. However, for any form of content (from simple sales websites to large digital publications), relying on these metrics alone is not enough.

We need to understand how users actually use content. For example:

• Is the print button in the article valid?
• Are the presenters in the video friendly and professional?
• How much content has the user read?

Content research does not stop at digital experience. It raises more questions: What role does the content play in the user's problem-solving process? What are the shortcomings? How to improve?

These questions apply to a variety of content-rich websites to help you understand whether users read the full text, are satisfied with the content, and whether your website improves their lives. And these cannot be answered by analytical tools alone. This is the significance of content research.

What is content research?

Content research aims to answer your questions about how content serves users. It goes beyond traditional statistics to help you understand, trust and act on answers through non-standardized ways of asking questions.

Why do you need to conduct content research?

The benefits of content research are obvious:

• In-depth understanding of users and how they use content.
• Eliminate internal stereotypes and misunderstandings about users.
• Challenges long-standing perceptions of content use.
• Avoid mistakes that may reduce the practicality of content.

It is not easy to conduct content research, it takes time and energy and challenges your existing perception of user behavior. But its value far exceeds the cost.

Develop a research plan

Developing a content research plan includes three steps:

1. Ask a question: List your questions about the performance of content, such as page layout, tag cloud, FAQ panel, etc.
2. Looking for answers: Determine how to find answers, which may require a variety of tools and methods, and constantly adjusting based on new findings.
3. Develop a plan: Develop a flexible plan outlining how you will answer these questions.

At first, you only need a few key questions and a preliminary answer to get the solution to get started.

Next steps

The next steps will explore the use of click tracking tools and how to use them to answer questions and ask new questions.

FAQs (FAQs)

The following are some FAQs about content research methods:

• What are the key steps in content research? Content research includes identifying target audiences, understanding their needs, identifying relevant topics, creating content calendars, creating content, and measuring content effectiveness and adjusting strategies.

• How to use competitor analysis in content research? Analyze competitors’ blogs, social media posts and more to learn about popular topics, content types and strategies.

• What are the content research tools? Keyword research tools (such as Google Keyword Planner), social listening tools (such as Buzzsumo), analytics tools (such as Google Analytics), etc.

• How to measure the success of content? Use metrics such as page views, stay time, bounce rate, social sharing, comments and conversion rates.

• How to improve content based on research? Improve topics, formats, tone, styles, and SEO strategies based on research results and utilize user feedback.

• What is the role of SEO in content research? SEO helps identify related keywords and optimizes content to improve search engine rankings and traffic.

• How to use social media for content research? Monitor industry conversations, identify hot topics, understand audience preferences, and collect feedback.

• How to use data analysis to conduct content research? Learn what content is the most popular, which topics are the most attractive, and which SEO strategies are the most effective.

• How to use surveys and interviews to conduct content research? Understand topics, questions, and content types that your audience is interested in.

• How to understand the latest trends in content research? Follow industry blogs, attend webinars and conferences, and use tools like Google Trends or Buzzsumo.

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