The document discusses embracing risk and investing in "big content" for SEO purposes. It describes the author's experience pitching clients on longer, more in-depth content cycles rather than shorter cycles with smaller pieces. This resulted in improved search rankings, increased organic traffic, higher conversions, and a happier client despite being riskier initially. The author advocates going "big" rather than playing it safe with small content if one wants to meaningfully compete and advance.

1. go big or go home…
Hannah Smith
@hannah_bo_banna

2. …a phrase usually used to
goad someone into an
outlandish or awesome act
@hannah_bo_banna

3. @hannah_bo_banna

4. …actually often said act is
pretty dumb
@hannah_bo_banna

5. @hannah_bo_banna

6. today‟s not about
big drinking
@hannah_bo_banna

7. today’s about
big content
@hannah_bo_banna

8. WTF?!
@hannah_bo_banna

9. expensive
content
@hannah_bo_banna

10. WTF?!
@hannah_bo_banna

11. takes more than
40 hours
to create
@hannah_bo_banna

12. plus
further time
to outreach
@hannah_bo_banna

13. sounds like a
gamble?
@hannah_bo_banna

14. funnily
enough
@hannah_bo_banna

15. I used to be a
betting shop manager
@hannah_bo_banna

16. @hannah_bo_banna

17. gambling is a
mug‟s game
@hannah_bo_banna

18. which presents something
of a problem
@hannah_bo_banna

19. because investing in
big content
@hannah_bo_banna

20. is a major
gamble
@hannah_bo_banna

21. and I am
risk averse
@hannah_bo_banna

22. this is the story of how
I learned to embrace
gambling
@hannah_bo_banna

23. but first,
some context…
@hannah_bo_banna

24. @hannah_bo_banna

25. it was always a competitive
niche…
@hannah_bo_banna

26. Jan 2012:
we‟d been working
together for over a year…
@hannah_bo_banna

27. „small‟
content
@hannah_bo_banna

28. @hannah_bo_banna

29. + some guest blogging
@hannah_bo_banna

30. consistent
results
@hannah_bo_banna

31. then
@hannah_bo_banna

32. @hannah_bo_banna

33. @hannah_bo_banna

34. @hannah_bo_banna

35. @hannah_bo_banna

36. it got
@hannah_bo_banna

37. @hannah_bo_banna

38. @hannah_bo_banna

39. the stuff we were doing
@hannah_bo_banna

40. playing it
safe
@hannah_bo_banna

41. small
content
@hannah_bo_banna

42. small
gamble
@hannah_bo_banna

43. small
reward
@hannah_bo_banna

44. these consistent
results
@hannah_bo_banna

45. were not going to be
enough
@hannah_bo_banna

46. to really
compete
@hannah_bo_banna

47. the client was
happy
@hannah_bo_banna

48. the client was
happy
@hannah_bo_banna

49. the client was
happy
@hannah_bo_banna

50. but we were on
borrowed
time
@hannah_bo_banna

51. go big
or go home?
@hannah_bo_banna

52. sounds
risky
@hannah_bo_banna

53. remember, I‟m
risk averse
@hannah_bo_banna

54. but
@hannah_bo_banna

55. is it really a
gamble?
@hannah_bo_banna

56. maybe not when you‟re the
agency
@hannah_bo_banna

57. but you still need to
persuade
the client…
@hannah_bo_banna

58. they are the ones that
stand to
lose
@hannah_bo_banna

59. @hannah_bo_banna

60. they agreed to a test

@hannah_bo_banna

61. don‟t expect the client to
pay more
@hannah_bo_banna

62. we pitched to go
slower
@hannah_bo_banna

63. moved from a 4 week
content cycle
to an 8 week content cycle
@hannah_bo_banna

64. we absorbed some
risk
@hannah_bo_banna

65. we
over-delivered
@hannah_bo_banna

66. like
crazy
@hannah_bo_banna

67. we
figured
@hannah_bo_banna

68. if we could
prove
it worked
@hannah_bo_banna

69. we could pitch for
more
money later
@hannah_bo_banna

70. it was a
gamble
@hannah_bo_banna

71. but that nag
romped
home
@hannah_bo_banna

72. @hannah_bo_banna

73. 148
linking root domains
@hannah_bo_banna

74. what
happened
next
@hannah_bo_banna

75. it‟s not about going
big
once
@hannah_bo_banna

76. @hannah_bo_banna

77. 101
linking root domains
@hannah_bo_banna

78. @hannah_bo_banna

79. @hannah_bo_banna

80. 79
linking root domains
@hannah_bo_banna

81. @hannah_bo_banna

82. @hannah_bo_banna

83. 74
linking root domains
@hannah_bo_banna

84. @hannah_bo_banna

85. @hannah_bo_banna

86. 197
linking root domains
@hannah_bo_banna

87. @hannah_bo_banna

88. @hannah_bo_banna

89. 55
linking root domains
@hannah_bo_banna

90. @hannah_bo_banna

91. @hannah_bo_banna

92. 188
linking root domains
@hannah_bo_banna

93. @hannah_bo_banna

94. @hannah_bo_banna

95. 6
linking root domains
(don‟t panic, it‟s new)
@hannah_bo_banna

96. it‟s not been the
smoothest
ride
@hannah_bo_banna

97. 250
200
150
100
50
0
Linking Root Domains
@hannah_bo_banna

98. however
@hannah_bo_banna

99. per £1 invested in
content
& outreach
@hannah_bo_banna

100. we‟re now building
more than
double
the number of links
@hannah_bo_banna

101. we‟re twice as
effective
now as when we were
playing it safe
@hannah_bo_banna

102. but it‟s not just about
links
@hannah_bo_banna

103. results you actually
care
about
@hannah_bo_banna

104. Jan 2012
versus
Jan 2013
@hannah_bo_banna

105. improved
rankings
for head terms
@hannah_bo_banna

106. @hannah_bo_banna

107. @hannah_bo_banna

108. 45% increase
in organic traffic
@hannah_bo_banna

109. increased
conversions
@hannah_bo_banna

110. conversions are
money
#justsayin
@hannah_bo_banna

111. happy
client
@hannah_bo_banna

112. @hannah_bo_banna

113. 5 tips for
going big
or how to avoid going home
@hannah_bo_banna

114. @hannah_bo_banna

115. your content needs to
support the brand‟s
positioning
@hannah_bo_banna

116. in order to get
sign off
@hannah_bo_banna

117. & in order to be
repeatable
@hannah_bo_banna

118. „whacky‟
ideas
@hannah_bo_banna

119. cost too much
time
@hannah_bo_banna

120. & are hard to
repeat
@hannah_bo_banna

121. @hannah_bo_banna

122. evergreen content is far
less risky
@hannah_bo_banna

123. @hannah_bo_banna

124. use your best idea
first
@hannah_bo_banna

125. but have plenty more in
your
back pocket
@hannah_bo_banna

126. it‟s not about going
big
once
@hannah_bo_banna

127. @hannah_bo_banna

128. set benchmarks for
„success‟
@hannah_bo_banna

129. before
launch
@hannah_bo_banna

130. @hannah_bo_banna

131. don‟t believe the
hype
@hannah_bo_banna

132. “great content produces
out-sized
returns”
@hannah_bo_banna

133. one cold
email
@hannah_bo_banna

134. @hannah_bo_banna

135. sadly, that only happens
sometimes
@hannah_bo_banna

136. great content gets you
top-tier
guest posts
@hannah_bo_banna

137. @hannah_bo_banna

138. @hannah_bo_banna

139. @hannah_bo_banna

140. a word of
warning
@hannah_bo_banna

141. I was hoping to build a
flywheel
@hannah_bo_banna

142. #naive
@hannah_bo_banna

143. nevertheless
@hannah_bo_banna

144. investing in
big content
@hannah_bo_banna

145. is a major
gamble
@hannah_bo_banna

146. that can
pay off
@hannah_bo_banna

147. & if you too are in a
rut
@hannah_bo_banna

148. small
content
@hannah_bo_banna

149. small
gamble
@hannah_bo_banna

150. small
reward
@hannah_bo_banna

151. & it‟s not
enough
@hannah_bo_banna

152. to really
compete
@hannah_bo_banna

153. @hannah_bo_banna

154. @hannah_bo_banna

155. @hannah_bo_banna

156. HANNAH SMITH
Caffeine Addict
SEOmoz Associate
Writer for State of Search & SEO Chicks
Principal Consultant, Distilled
hannah.smith@distilled.net
@hannah_bo_banna

157. Image Credits
Shots - http://www.thethirstypig.com/2011/01/13/100-shots-at-blue-frog-%E8%93%9D%E8%9B%99/
Please drink responsibly - http://lmaotwitpics.com/2012/12/27/drink-responsibly/
Ladbrokes - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaggers/8047471537/sizes/l/
F*ck Yeah - http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669791/infographic-the-rise-of-tumblrs-fuck-yeah-movement
1 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/204714598/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159394280/
2 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/5489483429/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159392957/
3 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/94877877/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159391763/
4 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/5122443605/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159390514/
5 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/4322212584/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159389491/
Clock - http://digitalbloggers.com/gregfionascott/how-to-stop-procrastinating/
Your best shot - http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicahagy/2012/10/04/40-things-to-say-before-you-die/2/
Go big or go home - http://kristiehuey.com/GO-BIG
@hannah_bo_banna