Curate Content to Boost SEO!
Content curation is not a new concept - it has been around for hundreds of years. Take the newspapers for example. About 300 years back, there were no individual reporters, so most of the newspapers would search for news and then curate it before presenting it to the audience. This saved time and energy, and the audience always got fresh content.
And we’ve doing the same ever since, at least most of the time.
There is constant content curation everywhere, and this becomes very apparent in the online world. Take social media as an example. The news feed on our Facebook homepage is nothing but curated content.
You may be thinking “All that is fine and good, but what’s in it for me? How does content curation help boost my SEO efforts? Is it even a good strategy?”
When it comes to SEO, you must have heard of the age-old belief of how keeping your content unique (along with, if I may add, a good hosting service that makes your website fast and smooth functioning) plays an important role. You’ve already taken care of the “hosting” bit (you’ve found a few providers that provide great WordPress hosting plans, and you’re convinced that your WordPress site will do awesome, hosting wise at least), so now you’re left with the “unique content” part.
And that’s when the entire concept of content curation troubles you - doesn’t it go against the entire belief of having unique content?
Well, allow us to show you how content curation actually helps boost your SEO:
It Saves Time:
Having a regular flow of new content pieces can be a task, especially if you’re a small business with only yourself as the content writer. We’ve all heard of the writer’s block, but you can’t afford to lose out on SEO just because of it. And that’s where content curation plays an important role. It helps you fill the gap between content requirement and content generation.
It Increases Possibility of Getting Inbound Links:
If you’re SEO-smart, you’ll be curating content only from reliable sources and giving credit to those sources while publishing content. This makes the original content creator sit up and take notice of you, and he may even mention your web page (where you’ve put up the article) in his other content pieces to get a share of your traffic. So it’s a win-win situation for both - he gets traffic, and you get your valued inbound link.
It Keeps Your Website Fresh:
We all know how Google loves fresh content - every time you update your content/design, Google takes notice and gives you better ranking in its search results. So if you have a section of your website/blog dedicated to curated content (which is reliable and related to your niche of course), you don’t have to worry about freshness.
Result? You get into the good books of Google without much effort.
It Can Get You Ranking For More Keywords:
It’s like having a bigger fishing net which helps you catch more fish. When you curate content, you have a bigger pool of content for Google to index and rank and, if done correctly, you can have your website rank for certain short as well as long-tail keywords. But you need to have a strategy in place, and play your cards well.
It Can Add Value:
In spite of all the SEO strategies that you adopt, the only way that you can attract more audience is by adding value. If the visitors like what they see and what they read on your website (even if all of it is not your own content), they’re bound to share it with others as well. Remember - visitors are not there to check of your content is unique or curated, they’re there to see if you can add value. And if you can, they’ll keep coming back for more.
Content curation is not a bad thing. Sure, you should have unique content on your website, but curated content will help you out when you’re stuck and also when you need to establish yourself as an authority online.
Last word? Make sure you pick up content from reliable sources, sources that have high DA (domain authority) if you’re looking from the point of SEO. Too much of anything is bad, so don’t overdo the curation bit. Show who you really are through your own unique content, and use curated content just to fill in the gaps.
All the best!