In the last year, we've searched for ways to make YouMoz more interesting, more exciting and more inviting for the Moz community. The blog really does belong to the community, for it's the place where many novel ideas are shared, discussed, and further developed.

Aside from being a great place to share ideas, though, YouMoz is also the primary vehicle by which many now-household names in online marketing were discovered. (Many of the top posts on YouMoz eventually find their way onto the main Moz Blog.)

YouMoz belongs to the community. The blog was created as a place for the community to share and engage around bright ideas, in addition to being a vehicle for provoking thought around new concepts, strategies and tactics. For both aspiring and established authors, YouMoz has become a popular destination in the online marketing space.

In the quest to make YouMoz even better, we’ve come with a few ideas to ensure that everyone continues to feel as though they can contribute to the blog.

Beginning today, we’re introducing what we hope becomes four common formats for YouMoz: My Story, Headsmacking Tips, Problem Solved and Here’s How:

• My Story: The name pretty much says it all. Share with the community an interesting story related to online marketing. The story could be funny, personal or informational. As long as it’s interesting, well-written, and a benefit to the community, we’d love to hear it. A great example of the type of post we’re looking for is Mike Ramsey’s From Zero to a Million: 20 Lessons for Starting an Internet Marketing Agency.

• Headsmacking Tip: We’re bringing this format, first shared by Rand years ago on the main blog, out of the mothballs. Simply share with the audience an awesome online marketing-related tip that could make their jobs easier. (Example:Headsmacking Tip #21: Write Better Headlines Than Anyone Else.)

• Problem Solved: Tell the audience how you solved a significant marketing problem, making it easier for you to do your job. Share the nitty-gritty details, and include any graphics or tips needed for the community to solve the problem for themselves. (Example: A Simple Guide to Overcoming Ad Blindness for Publishers.)

• Here’s How: This style of post is meant to be a little more wide-ranging, allowing you to share with the audience ways they can successfully deploy a technique, tactic, strategy, tool or anything else you’ve gleaned that might be of value to marketers. (Examples: How to Write Emails That Get Opened Every Time and The 10 Tools I Use to Monitor Social Media More Effectively. A big shout out to Katy Katz for the inaugural post in this category: Here’s How to Write an Email That Throws off a Whole Room’s Productivity.)

Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? Don’t overthink it. Read our guidelines, then dive in and get started.

Also, we’d love to hear what you think about these new formats. Plus, we welcome your comments or questions.

Feel free to share your thoughts below

Hi Donna,

Yes, original only. We don't accept posts that have been published elsewhere.

Turnaround has more to do with the quality of the post than anything else. Almost all posts will need some work, even the best pieces. But if a writer can adhere to these guidelines and incorporate the elements outlined here, the turnaround can be very short.

Below I list the main elements we look for in a YouMoz post. (Assuming the post is, first and foremost, TAGFEE

- Accuracy

• Quality writing

• Depth

• Actionable takeaways

• Novel ideas

The first two are must-haves, but if you can deliver in at least one other area, the post has a good chance of making it onto the blog.

Thank you for asking about the YouMoz process, Donna. We strive to make it as easy as possible for authors to contribute.

RS

We've heard a lot about Rich Snippets in the last few years, especially with regard to how they can help move the needle for ecomm brands.

In the latest YouMoz post - 5 Essential E-Commerce Rich Snippets for Your Store  - Aleh Barysevich provides some easy-to-follow tips he's used to help brands find success using Rich Snippets.

What about you? Have you found Rich Snippets to be all they're cracked up to be?

As a freelance consultant who has been working solo for most of the last six years, I can empathize with you. I've had to test numerous tools and platforms to find the right for me.

First, keep in mind that what works for others likely won't work for you, so you'll have to do some experimenting as well.

• For project management, I've used Trello, Wrike, Basecamp, Freedcamp, Asana and a few others. For singular use, they are all fine, but as you have to share information across teams and with clients, you'll need the added capability and ease of use of platforms such as Asana and Wrike. They each have quirks, so experiment. I found Asana the most intuitive of the bunch. Also, keep in mind that a lot can be done simply through Google Docs and Google Sheets.
• If I had $200 for tools, I'd go with Moz Content or Buzzsumo ($99 each) for content ideation and Moz Pro for site analytics ($99). Admittedly, I'm biased as a Moz Associate. However, the key is having the ability to attain, access and discern information quickly and accurately, not have information on ALL THE THINGS. You could be successful with this small suite of tools, then over time add others such as Buffer and Followerwonk for social media.

RS

When the content developed Moz Content, I was excited as can be about having another tool in the content marketing and content strategy repertoire. I knew it could and would help marketers better identify the content they should be creating and make it easier for them to move the needle for their brands.

Since it's been available, I've had fun using Moz Content, seeing it as a great vehicle for flattening the learning curve for content ideation and creation.

In a recent post, Here's How I'm Using Moz Content for Mining Local Link Opportunities, David Farkas described how brands can use Moz Content to better create localized content.

I'd like to know how you're using it, or if you're using it:

• Have you tried Moz Content? And if not, what's stopping you?
• If you have used it, what are you really liking?
• What would you change?
• What, if any, additional features you'd like to see added?
• What tips can you share for helping others get the most out of the tool?

Looking forward to reading the comments below.

Excellent point, Donna. I do think data and storytelling form a formidable team, but their impact is certainly limited without the benefit of promotion.

RS

Recently, I wrote a Moz post on what I think comprises effective online marketing outreach via email: Why You Should Steal My Daughter's Playbook for Effective Email Outreach

Though I'm by no means an outreach expert, it's a topic I do feel qualified to talk about, owing to having worked with numerous PR/Outreach folks, seeing what works and what does not, and because of my experience working for and with Fortune 25s in a sales, outreach capacity. I'm wondering...

• What's the biggest challenge you've faced with regard to outreach?
• How are you addressing it?
• What's the No. 1 tactic you've used to attain success in email outreach?

RS

We've been waiting on the latest Penguin rollout so long it would have been appropriate for Google to launch it with a creepy meme titled "I'm baaack." But now that it's here, what changes are you seeing to the websites you monitor or manage?

We'd very much enjoy hearing you stories, thoughts and proposed courses of action below in the comments.

If you need to get up to speed on Penguin 4.0, Dr. Pete's post, Penguin 4.0: Was it Worth the Wait?, is a great place to start, as is the latest Whiteboard Friday by Rand: Penguin 4.0: How the Real-Time Penguin-in-the-Core-Alg Model Changes SEO.

RS

One of biggest mistakes I used to make - and I had no idea I was making it at the time - was in trying to be too cute with my H1s, H2s and meta tags/meta descriptions. How? I focused more on using fancy punctuation (e.g., dashes, pipes and colons, especially) than I did on the message I hoped to get across to readers.

This was in 2010. Eventually, I discerned the trouble I was creating for myself, and not simply in the eyes of Google.

Instead of thinking about what punctuation Google "recognizes," think of how you can deliver your information in the simplest, easiest-to-digest manner possible. When we attempt to get too cute with our punctuation, we must rely too heavily on someone/something else (e.g., search engines) to deliver our message in the way we hope to convey it; most important, though, it takes the emphasis off of the user, which is always, ALWAYS more interested in the best, most apropos result, not the result that highlights our prowess as A-List grammarians and punctuation scholars.

My advice: Write simply to convey your message thoroughly. More often than not that means few words and even fewer punctuation characters.

RS

In a recent post, Craig Bradshaw shared how creating a URL profiler can work wonders for brands looking to learn what links competitors have attained and which links your brand should be trying to acquire.

We're wondering if your marketing team has made use of URL profiiers, for your brand or the brands you support, and if so have you found them to be worthwhile?

RS

Sounds like your experience mirrors that of others, which seems to be as a result of Google taking more or a scalpel approach to penalizing content as opposed to the blunt-instrument trauma many faced in the past when entire sites were scorched.

No news is better than bad news.

RS

BuzzSumo, like Moz Content, can provide you with a view of the best-performing content across the web, making it possible for you to see which content and content types would be most palatable for the audience served by your vertical.

Hi Jubaer,

One way to look at it is each (worthwhile) link is an implied endorsement of your site. Viewed in this light, multiple links from the same site, assuming it is a respected domain, would be incredible valuable, but not simply for ranking.

Remember, trust is a huge factor that can and does impact your rank in SERPs: If people come to know and view your brand as authoritative and valuable on a topic, they're more likely to click on your URL, even if you're not in the top handful of results.

One small way to gain such trust is by creating content that is worthy of being linked to by respected domains. The more people see you being linked to and mentioned, the more top of mind awareness you're creating and the greater the likelihood that you'll start seeing that recognition at the SERP level.

I link to say that value of a link extends well beyond the link itself.

RS

Dirk,

You are making me chuckle

My apologies if I'm further confusing things. The generic message is created initially/immediately, as we log the post into the system. Everyone gets that message, unless the post is spam or an obvious poor fit.

Every other post is reviewed in-depth, at which point we begin to separate them out based on return to to the author or deny. Whether the post is accepted or denied, however, in nearly all cases, it will need to be returned to the author with questions.

Also, Dirk, don't hesitate to reach out to me - ronell.smith@moz.com - if you'd like to run an idea by me in advance of creating a post. All I ask for is at least a sketch/outline first, not simply a headline, and I can provide feedback.

Hi Jeanette,

While I think your questions are certainly apropos from a search engine perspective, I'd like to see you take a step back and look at the site from the standpoint of the people who'd/who'll find value from such a site. Getting found, while important, is simply the start, for no one wants web searchers to leave their site unsatisfied.

With that in mind, I'd like to offer up a few quick ideas:

• Who's your ideal web user? And what content do they desire and would consume most readily? (Use the answers to these questions
• Aside from being a directory, consider creating some original content, which could aid in increasing your site's reach and help establish it as an online destination.
• Look at what website owners in similar verticals are doing to drive awareness and traffic to their sites. You can likely follow a similar path to success by adding some of their seemingly successful elements to your repertoire.

RS

The latter, mostly. Think of it types of posts we're hoping to see. They'll become veritable categories, however, as they are created and shared, highlighting to other members of the audience how they can share their best ideas.

RS

Matt,

I totally agree.

In my former life (er, job) I wrote thousands of ecomm product description for some of the world's biggest brands. It was a painful process at first, in large part because EVERY company felt that more was always better. Until I was able to show them that it wasn't.

At first, each description was bloated with text.

Then, I imposed a strict word (50) and character count (220) for descriptions, and conversions improved dramatically. Also, customer service calls and complaints diminished considerably.

Here's why: Customers visiting a specific product are more likely to know something about it, so they don't need a bunch of details. They ask friends and family members, read reviews, etc., so they're educated to a degree when they visit the page. Also, if they do have questions, it's better to have a Q&A-style setup on the page, similar to what REI does.

For folks who aren't as educated but who have landed on the page for a specific product, the diminutive descriptions means they have enough info to whet their appetites (i.e., to read reviews and conduct research) but not so much to confuse them.

RS

Matt,

For me, it's a three-pronged approach: The content ideation, creation and amplification process are all very important parts of the content marketing process. Without one, the other two are not very effective.

• For Ideation, I like to focus on what it is I'm trying to accomplish (e.g,., the goal), then marry that with the needs of the audience.
• For content creation, the goal is to discern the best medium by which to share and create the content, based on the goal of the content and the ideas being expressed. For example, a post that's designed to build a conversation around an idea I hope to test might include light text and heavy graphics and be shared on Google Plus and Instagram, in addition to my blog.
• The amplification part of the process is the most important, and for good reason: Content that isn't amplified is unlikely to get engagement, shares or links. That's why I like to say, "If it's not important enough to drive engagement, don't create it." Links are anything but a given, but shares and engagement are a clear signal that your work is finding and touching the right audience.

Where I veer off course a bit - and recommend that others do the same - is in thinking about amplification first, which is an idea Rand has shared for years.

Instead of thinking (ideation) about what content I should create (creation), I focus on who'll promote the content first. That way, I'm creating content that's more likely to be shared and engaged with. I'm convinced others could/would find success by doing the same thing.

RS

The key is quality content. I know we hear that a lot, so much that it becomes cliche', but it's true. A simple way of thinking about this is to never create a piece of content you wouldn't feel comfortable asking someone you know and respect to share.

RS

Data is an important element of content marketing. Storytelling, too, gets readers' attention and has been shown to be instrumental in prospects and customers forming strong connections to brands. But using data and storytelling helps produce some of the strongest content there is to be shared, says Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré in her latest YouMoz article, Here’s How to Combine Storytelling and Data to Produce Persuasive Content.

What are your thoughts? Think data and storytelling work best separately? Read the post are share your thoughts below.

RS

My latest post on the Moz Blog, Featured Snippets: A Dead-Simple Tactic for Making, explores how to keep Featured Snippets once you have them. I'm curious to know how many brands are actively working to get in the answer box, and for those who are, what's been the results?

Have to confess: Track, Test, Tweak, Repeat is legit.

Similar to my Refine, Revise, Repeat for content creation and amplification.

So often we hear that something or another didn't work, when in reality the brand or the individual either didn't optimize the experience for the desired outcome, didn't have clear, defined goals in place or lacked the ability to track the effort's performance.

What I love about email is it's easy to track. From there, it's all about the TTR

RS

That's exactly where they have the most value to me as a prospect. I want to ascertain as much information as possible before I make a commitment to click a link and visit a webpage.

RS

I'll answer this using the words of a former neighbor who, when asked why he kept three vehicles when he could only drive one at any given time, said "Unlike horses, they don't cost me anything to sit in the yard."

I see G+ much the same way. No matter what is said, no one knows for sure what's going to happen with G+. However, if you're looking closely, many of the earliest adopters and staunchest advocates have cooled to it, preferring to devote resources elsewhere, such as Facebook or Twitter or even newcomer Blab.

I'd say do the same: till the most fertile ground for your brand.

If you've invested in G+ and have a large audience who shares and engages around your content, continue to nurture those relationships. But to cover your bases, begin building relationships elsewhere, too, on platforms where your prospects are likely to congregate. Begin by following the influencers, sharing and engaging around their content. Share your content there as well, then enlist the help of your G+ followers - many of whom are also on the newfound platform - to amplify and engage around your content.

In this way, you're plowing new ground continuing to tend your existing flock.

This approach ensures that you're not beholden to the whims of Google and you needn't fret over what becomes of G+.

RS

Becky,

Your priorities certainly are in order. For if you don't get the onsite stuff right, (a) the offsite stuff might never come and (b) if it does come would be tough to measure.

Take the time to get the technical and the on-page SEO airtight, then, as time permits, spend time learning as much as you can about your target audience (e.g., who they are, where they congregate, what content they share and engage around, who the influencers are, etc.). Then you can begin creating content knowing that it's hitting the mark for the audience, who will likely be willing to share and, possibly, link to it in the future.

From there, you move up to adding outreach to your repertoire, whereby you create content targeted to getting the attention of influencers, who'll help you share it, which should bring more attention to your site and illuminate what the audience is hungry for and receptive for from your brand.

RS

Thank you for sharing, Gyi.

RS

Hi Dirk,

Your comments are apt. However, I respectfully disagree with the assertion that the quality of the post has nothing to do with review time.

For example, we do a daily quick pass through the queue and the spreadsheet where the articles are kept, with an eye for any gems that might jump out at us. These "gems" are articles that hit the nail on the head for what we're looking for in a YouMoz post. Those posts go right to the top of the pile.

The posts that need the most work aren't excluded, however. It simply takes more time to go through them and make suggestions, which must then be shared with the author.

Over the last several months, I've done an informal analysis of the review process, in hopes of getting more posts on the blog.

Here's what I've found:

• Roughly 90% of the posts we send back to authors are either never returned to us, or they are returned without any changes being made. This rings true for posts that need only minor elements that only the author can provide. As you might imagine, these posts eat up quite a bit of time.
• Typically, when posts are returned to us with the needed changes, the turnaround time is 3.5 weeks. Often it's months.
• The No. 1 reason posts don't make the cut is the author attempts to do too much in a single post and lacks the details needed to make the post work.

YouMoz belongs to the audience. However, we're not willing to trade quality for quantity.

RS

I like the wait and see/get more data approach. It's often tough to see a cause and effect relationship when there are so many potential factors at work.

Hi Jason,

Like Thomas and Sean, I think a lot of BuzzSumo. It's a product many brands have come to trust for content ideation and insight. I think it has the most value as a tool to see what content types you might want to consider for your vertical, in addition to helping you better discern what competitors are doing that you aren't.

For me, BuzzSumo is a great starting place, especially for brands who're eager to nail three key elements of content marketing:

• What content is performing best across the web, and why?
• What content is performing best in our vertical?
• What types of content performs best?

I'd certainly recommend giving BuzzSumo a try. It's an excellent product.

Hello there,

In the latest YouMoz post, "Case Study: How We Gained More than 100 Links for a Travel Website via Content Marketing," Tom McLoughlin recommends an idea for content creation that is sure to elicit strong opinions from all sides:

"Websites like Fiverr and Upwork are fantastic resources for finding freelancers who do great work. It simply takes a bit of initial time to sift through and separate the wheat from the chaff. Once that’s done, give the freelancers a detailed brief and tell them exactly what you want."

What's your opinion? Have you had good experiences using these sites? If so, what have you found as the keys to making the working relationship a success.

There are lots of questions going on here. I'll answer two of the most pressing:

1. The best explanation of what Google deems thin content had be found here. And for a great analysis of what comprises thin content and what you should do about it, read this.
2. I spent years creating ecomm product descriptions, so I know well the problems of trying to stay away from duplicating efforts/content while crafting a message that resonated with the audience. In my opinion, the brand that does this the best is REI.

• Their descriptions are rich and unique

• They have a review tab for each product

• The image for each product is vivid

• They focus more on the user than they do trying to derive SEO value

• I'm convinced that if you spend some time perusing the site, you'll have ample options for how you can smartly move forward.

RS

Sounds like you have some clients with strong content, then.

RS

First, I apologize for responding so tardily. I would like to congratulate you for taking the time to craft a post for YouMoz. Also, it's commendable that you're seeking feedback at this stage. Most authors, myself included, simply want it off their plates at this stage.

While, yes, as Dirk said, it can take time for us to get to your post, that's owing in large part to (a) the initial quality of the post (posts that are more ready to be posted do get moved ahead of the line as we review, re-review and include copious notes in the articles to authors for revision) and (b) how effective authors are at making the needed changes in a timely fashion.

Our goal with YouMoz is to post the best content possible. That can mean a lot of back and forth between author and editor.

Feel free to email us at editor@moz.com

RS

You're very welcome, Becky. I hope this helps in some small way, at least.

RS

Hi Gary,

I'm not entirely clear about your question, but it's best that you create content you know will move the needle for your brand and share it with sites you have a relationship with and that can help your business meet its content marketing goals. It's unlikely the websites you mention meet those qualifications, so I'd say start by creating a list of websites that you know can help your brand that publish similar content. Then reach out to the sites about sharing content on their website.

The key, however, is to be very specific about your goals with regard to the relationship: Traffic? Conversions? etc.

RS

Hi Becky,

None immediately come to mind. But I'd start by looking at examples from some of the high-end brands:

• Jewelers

• Apparel (including Nike, Louis Vuitton, etc.)

Let me know what you find.

RS