When I first joined Project 24 by Income School, I was already a seasoned content writer. However, I’d never written posts as they taught me to. Now, I can’t imagine writing anything else!
So what is so different about what I learned in Project 24?
The key ideas behind a Project 24 style post are to clearly answer a user’s question and to be extremely helpful while doing it. By providing a complete answer you are able to gain trust with Google due to the user’s interaction with your website. Taking this approach is extremely effective for SEO.
We all know that “Content is King” but there is more to the tale than that. It’s also about how you present your content to the user, so that’s what I’d like to cover for you in this article.
What to write about
The biggest eye-opener for me, although it’s probably the most obvious idea, was writing articles on what people are actually searching for in Google.
There are many keyword research tools out there, but for the most part they don’t give you accurate search volume and should only really be used as inspiration for what to explore as possible post topics.
By far the best method for finding search queries for the type of articles that are written by Project 24 students is Google search itself.
Simply by using the auto-suggest feature in the Google search browser you can find all the information you need to drive organic traffic to your website.
The technique uses search queries within your niche followed by a letter to generate the auto-suggest search term. You can also use question words followed by an asterisk (*) to help you find even more search terms.
For more details, check out my video on how to use the Google Alphabet Soup Method:
Post title
When it comes to blogging, writing the right heading can make the difference between someone clicking through or clicking away.
A good way to craft a better title than your competitors is to see what they are actually writing themselves. Once you know what the user is being presented with, you can give them something even more enticing.
Understanding the user intent for a particular query is quite important for both your article as a whole, and for your title.
You should word your title in such a way that it shows the user that they are going to find all the information they need to answer their question.
This can be done by adding certain phrases into your title such as “step by step guide’, “with pictures” or even clickbaity phrases like “what you really need to know”.
Another good method you can use is called the “buffet title” where you group together closely related search terms and combine those topics into one post. e.g what you should feed (mice, rats, hamsters, and other rodents).
Snippets
Although many other online gurus would steer you away from targeting Google snippets, a Project 24 post would look strange without an answer target.
Some bloggers will quote data that says being the features snippet with bring you a lower CTR than if you were in position 2 or 3.
However, with recent changes in the Google algorithm it’s actually quite beneficial to be at the top of the SERP rather than buried on page 2.
This is why every Project 24 member optimizes their posts to win the Google snippet whenever they can.
Subheadings
When writing subheadings you need to again keep the user in mind.
Subheadings should be logically laid out to help with skimming the article, but they should also follow a logical evolution of the answer.
It’s not going to help you with Google if you stray too far from the actual question, so make sure that you subheading are based on questions that the user is likely to ask after getting the initial main answer.
Don’t worry too much about reaching a particular word limit, it’s far better to have a shorter but highly relevant and helpful article than a long one which is way off topic.
Content
The biggest tendency for new bloggers, especially when writing about an unfamiliar topic, is to rely on other bloggers resources.
If you are writing your post based off of only one or two other posts, then you aren’t really adding much to the topic. You are actually spinning content.
But hey, we’ve all been there and we all learn better. What you should be doing is immersing yourself into your niche and then adding to what is already available on the net.
By providing a better resource rather than a reworded resource, you’ll build trust with both Google and your users.
It’s as simple as doing some orginal research. This could be just calling up a few experts in your niche and getting a first-hand answer to your query along with extra details not normally known about.
It could also be doing some experiments of your own or a case study to give you some original data that will help others.
Always be adding rather than taking away from others.
Don’t fluff
Fluffing is another bad habit that many of us, and me included, had to unlearn.
Again, word count isn’t the be all and end all of blogging. Even if you have 10,000 words you may not beat a well researched 500 word article.
Google is extremely smart these days and it knows when you are writing on topic and off topic. Adding those extra 500 words of nonsense are likely to harm you than help you.
So, a good rule of thumb is to stop writing when you have given as full an answer as you can.
Remember that a helpful table or infographic can be much more beneficial to your post than an extra 2000 words of unrelated waffle.
Affiliate links
In almost all cases, bloggers should be using affiliate links in their posts to generate revenue. Of course it’s not always appropriate as the topic may not logically warrant an affiliate link to a product or service.
In a Project 24 style post, affiliate links should almost always be placed where they can best serve the user. By far the most effective type is a text link which gives the user a reason to click through to the next website.
By making it clear where the link will take the user (not kidnapping them) and by giving them a really compelling reason to click it, you’ll find that your affiliate revenues go up.
Sometimes it is also acceptable to offer a list of relevant products at the end of an article. If a user has reached the end of your post, then this may be your last chance to make them purchase a recommended product.
As long as you give them a good reason to click through, it’s worth a shot to include these types of lists at the bottom of a post.
How long does it take?
A good Project 24 post will take anywhere form about 2 hours to research and write it to up to 8 hours for a pillar post.
The best method I’ve found is to do your research before you sit down to write so that you don’t interrupt the flow. I find that subject that I’m already familar produce much easier posts to write than something I need to constant check up on.
To a certain extent, I’ve stopped looking at the clock and just concentrated on making the best content I can so that I can win over my users and Google.
If you would like to know more about Project 24 and how it can help you replace your full-time income within 24 months, please go over to the full webinar by clicking here.
If you choose to make a purchase through my link I do get a commission but it will not cost you a penny more of a well chosen investment in a fantastic course.