What is 10x Content?
ランド・フィッシュキン モズ coined the term 10x content to describe any content that is ten times better than the next best content. This content could be an article, video, social media post, podcast, or infographic.
According to Rand, 10x content is so good that your visitors cannot ignore. 10x content gives you an edge over the competition. Your competitors will find it hard to replicate, and since nothing else comes close, it increases your chances of ranking for your focus keyword.
That said, 10x content goes beyond the content itself. It also involves the usability of your site. Your site should, as a rule, have a great user interface and provide your visitors with an awesome user experience.
Features of a 10x Content
10x content has several unique characteristics typically lacking in other types of content. These include:
- 10x content is ten times better than the next best content
- 10x content contains detailed information or resources that help the visitor answer a burning question or solve a pressing problem
- 10x content is only published on sites that load fast and are mobile-friendly
- 10x content is based on topics that have been proven to rank on search engine results pages
- 10x content appears in a user-friendly layout on all devices
- 10x content is only published on sites that are easy and intuitive to use
- 10x content provides the visitor with a better user experience than other content ranking for the same focus keyword
- 10x content only references factual information from trustworthy sites
- 10x content is always high-quality, trustworthy, helpful, interesting, and amazing. It may not satisfy all five requirements but should meet some of them
- 10x content is considerably different in scope and details from similar content targeting the same visitor and user intent
- 10x content generates an emotional response within the visitor
- 10x content is delivered in a unique way that is unexpected but pleasurable to interact with
Why 10x Content Works So Well
10x content works so well because it contains several features that make it stand out from competing content. Below, we will show why 10x content works so well.
1 Better Chances of Ranking on Search Results Pages
Most bloggers aim to create high-quality unique content. However, high-quality unique content does not make much difference in the long run because competing bloggers can easily improve their content and replicate your success.
However, with 10x content, you are not aiming to create another high-quality unique content. Instead, you create extremely unique content. Content that is so good it is ten times better than the next best content. As a consequence, your content becomes harder to replicate, increasing your chances of ranking for your focus keyword.
2 Likelier to Earn Links From Other Content
Backlinks are a significant ranking factor. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the higher your chances of ranking on search results pages.
Sites looking to get backlinks typically engage in link building to get other sites to link to them. However, Google has shown a preference for sites that get links naturally. This means you should focus on earning links rather than building links.
Think about it: When your content is just another top-ranking piece, there really is no incentive for other sites to link to you when they could link to any other top-ranking content.
However, you are likely to get backlinks with 10x content since 10x content, by default, contains real benefits and incentives that encourage other bloggers to link to you.
3 Provides Your Visitors With a Great User Experience
10x content is more than just content. It also includes how visitors access and experience the content. You must ensure your visitors have a positive user experience.
So, bloggers who create 10x content will typically ensure their site is usable, accessible, fast, mobile-friendly, and has a great layout, design, and interface.
4 Likelier to Beat the Competition
Many sites have been putting serious efforts into their content marketing over the last few years. This has made the field so competitive that high-quality unique content is no longer enough to get you to the top.
Many sites these days publish high-quality content that raises the bar. If you want to get to the top, you must also raise the bar. However, it would help if you did that with a 10x content. It makes it likelier for you to beat the competition and harder for them to compete.
How to Create 10x Content
Rand has provided a five-step method for creating 10x content. We will now go through it below and show you how to get started with creating your own 10x content.
1 Deeply Understand the Topic
The first step is to gain deep insights into the topic and understand why the audience is interested in it. This will help with your keyword research and allow you to target the relevant audience interested in your content.
For example, a person looking for movies with high ratings is likely trying to decide what to watch. With this in mind, you can begin your keyword research using Google and BuzzSumo.
- Google will provide you with the top-ranking content for that keyword
- BuzzSumo will provide you with the most shared content for that keyword
In this case, you will search for your focus keyword on Google. After that, you will have to review the top 10 ranking content one after another. You will also review the most shared content for the keyword.
While reviewing the content, you should ask yourself a few questions, including:
- What questions does the content answer?
- What questions do readers have after accessing the content?
- What is the user experience like? Is the site fast? Is it mobile-friendly? What about the layout and user experience?
- How detailed is the information provided in the article? Is there room for improvement?
- What are the images like? Are they explanatory and high-quality?
- How about the quality of the writing? Is it high-quality enough?
- What about the sources of the article? Are they reliable and trustworthy?
By answering these questions, you can determine what works, what is missing, and how to create something better.
2 Develop a Unique Angle for Your Topic
The next step is to develop a unique angle from which you will address your topic. You want to do something others have not yet done. That way, your content can stand out from what is available out there.
Let us take our movie example. You could decide to rank movies based on their user ratings, awards, editorial ratings, or popularity. However, a lot of sites already have this content, so it is not unique.
With this in mind, you could do something different, like ranking movies based on the trustworthiness of their ratings. This is one unique angle that only a few, if anyone has covered already.
3 Do Something That is Hard to Replicate
Now, it is time to brainstorm the hard-to-replicate things to include in your content. For example, you could conduct original research instead of repeating what every one has published online.
Using our movie example, you could compare movie ratings across multiple services to see if you discover anything unusual.
For example, opinion poll analysis site 538 did something similar when it analyzed movies from multiple rating sites and discovered that one site gave movies a higher rating than the others. It then went on to create 10x content on that.
4 Present the Content in a Unique Way
The final step is to decide on the method in which you will present your content. In our example, 538 included charts, statistical, and code evidence to back their claims. They also included their analysis data. As a rule, you should provide reliable proof for your claims.
Your titles and graphics should also grab your reader’s attention and attract them well enough that they stare at them for a while. However, while you are at it, you should ensure that whatever style you select for your content can appear on search results pages.
For example, while tables could be a great way to present certain information, they are typically not displayed on search results pages.
5 Do It a Few More Times
Now that you have figured out how to create 10x content, you should prepare to create a few 10x content. This step is necessary because you may not get the process right the first time, and even if you do, there may be a few issues here and there.
So, you should expect to do this between five and ten times until you are able to create content that qualifies as a true 10x content.
Examples of 10x Content
Rand has shared examples of some 10x content that have been created and published by multiple sites. We will briefly address some of these content below and show you what makes them 10x content.
1 9 Basic Principles of Responsive Web Design
Froont created a blog post to show its visitors some basic principles of responsive web design. The article is considered 10x content because of the multiple GIF images that show the reader a visual representation of each point addressed in the article.
The text is kept to a single paragraph per entry, leaving the GIFs to do the talking. The GIFs are self-explanatory. They tell the whole story, and a reader will easily understand the point being conveyed even without reading the text.
2 You Draw It: How Family Income Predicts Children’s College Chances
ザ New York Times wants its readers to guess the college enrollment rate of children. Instead of asking you to enter numbers into the screen, they included a graph in the content.
Using your mouse or fingers, you will draw a graph you think depicts the correct enrollment rate and then click the “I’m done” button at the bottom of the graph. Once done, the New York Times will show you the actual enrollment rate alongside some extra details.
3 A Visual Introduction to Machine Learning
R2D3 took a unique approach to explaining machine learning to its visitors. Instead of sticking to words and images, it included a relatable example along with interesting visuals that allow the visitor to better understand machine learning.
4 Is It Better to Rent or Buy?
Many Americans are confused about whether to buy or rent a house. To help their visitors make a choice, the New York Times created a series of interactive, graph-like calculators.
The first calculator compares the cost of renting and buying. The other calculators then adjust the cost depending on other factors, including your mortgage, taxes, maintenance fees, and how long you intend to live in the house.
5 Most Common Use of Time, by Age and Gender
What do we do every day? How do we spend our day? How many hours do we spend sleeping or taking phone calls? FlowingData revealed that in an article.
However, instead of creating a long-winded, boring article on what every one of every age and gender does every day, it created an interactive chart where the visitor can select the time, gender, and age range they are interested in, and the chart displays the relevant data in return.
6 The Food Lab’s Definitive Guide to Grilled Steak
How do you grill steak? Well, Serious Eats has the answer. In an ultimate guide, Serious Eats educates us on grilling the perfect steak.
However, they did not stop there. The article includes the different types of meat you will be working with, their taste, and alternative names, along with tips on selecting the right cut and buying a good steak. The article answers literally every question a person interested in grilling steak would want to ask.
Best Practices for Creating 10x Content
10x content requires a considerable amount of resources to create. So, it is expected that you will want to maximize the benefits that result from the content. To ensure such, you should follow the best practices listed below.
- Publish your 10x content on the same platform you publish your regular blog posts. Do not publish it on a separate site or subdomain.
- Publish your 10x content on your site and not on a third-party site. Third-party platforms are good for distributing content but should not be the home of your content.
- Include internal links in your 10x content. You should link to other content from your 10x content and link from the 10x content to other content.
- Ensure to create evergreen 10x content. Time-sensitive content may rank now but will not continue to rank long after you publish the article.
- 10x content should be comprehensive on the topic it covers. Remember that 10x content is a combination of great content approached from a unique angle.
- 10x content should be based on what already works. Without knowing what already works, it will be difficult to create something better.