Online Content Oversaturation: Should We Keep Writing?

There are over 463,000 Google results for ‘content oversaturation’, and this article is just another one on the list. Some searches produce millions of results, often providing the same information over and over to frustrated searchers. Every month, a staggering 91.8 million new posts are published on WordPress alone. So why do we keep producing content?

Many copywriters look at competitor’s articles to inform their own writing, either for content and format ideas, or to see what they aren’t covering and get in there first. It takes approximately three hours to write the average blog post, from researching to final edits. Is this time wasted in rehashing content? Is there any point to writing more of the same? Are there ways of making this content stand out?

Put simply – yes.

Keeping up with the competition

The quantity of internet content can make it difficult to get noticed above your competitors, especially if your company is new. Other businesses will already be well-established on the content front, so it’s unlikely you’ll make it to the top of the SERPs unless your business sits in an unusual niche.

But you can’t win a race if you’re not in it. There are many reasons for continual content creation, regardless of what else is already out there.

Businesses need to keep creating content to:

• show that the business is still active
• establish a position as experts in their field, covering the latest industry news and updates
• keep pressure on their competitors
• ensure their target audience knows they exist
• showcase their brand’s personality

How to get noticed in an oversaturated market

So, you’ve come up with some great, creative content for your company, but you just checked Google and the number of articles already covering that topic is pretty intimidating. Suddenly, it doesn’t matter how good your content is – how will it ever get noticed in that massive slush pile?

Firstly, trust in Google. If you’re producing high-quality content that answers a searcher’s question better than others, they’ll find it. Out of those hundreds of thousands of results, the majority won’t be useful or written well. Be wary of search results, but don’t let the numbers deter you too much.

Both you and Google want to put your readers first, right? So focus on the reading experience, not the keyword-stuffing. Over time, if your content is good, you will naturally move up the ranks. That’s not to say you’ll necessarily make it to page one, but you’ll at least be getting attention. The key is to keep going. Keep producing quality content. Soon, your business will get noticed, and for all the right reasons.

Although ironically, whilst researching this article, I came across a content saturation blog oversaturated with the term “content saturation” or variants thereof, which was fifth in the SERP at the time, so make of that what you will!

Competitor analysis

Look at your competitor’s content. What topics are they targeting? What is their content missing? Is it poorly written or lacking in certain areas? Could you simply do it better?

Blogs are a fantastic way of earning listings, generating conversations, and providing a constant stream of fresh material to your site. Google rarely gives anything away, but having a blog is one of the few content and link strategies they recommend.

Writing a blog is easy – literally anyone can do it. That’s why content oversaturation is so high. But that doesn’t mean it’s been done well every time. What are other posts missing? They may take forever to get to the point, or not answer a specific searcher’s query, or the article might just be a long and boring read. Longer posts are usually more popular, but take care to keep it relevant.

Get into the heads of your target audience. What are they looking to gain by reading your article? How will you keep them engaged? What tone of voice will you use to convey what they want to know?

Internet users are reading far less; many only read up to 20% of an article (so congrats if you’ve made it this far). Visual content requires less time to digest and is often paid more attention to, so design skills are becoming a necessity for success. More people know how to write than to design, meaning there are more blog posts than there are infographics, videos, and interactive content. Make your blog posts stand out from the competition by creating unique visuals. Take information and make it shine. Make it suitable and informative enough for SERP snippets in the hope your page will be highlighted above the rest.

Find a niche

Extensive research can excite a writer and tempt them to tell the reader all. Saying everything about a subject can be overwhelming, and make it more difficult for them to find what they’re looking for. If you really want to say everything, try breaking the content up into a series of posts so that your reader can read more if they wish. Otherwise, focus on a specific, and you may be able to find an unsaturated niche.

…Easier said than done, right? “Find an unsaturated niche in an overly saturated market”. And yet, businesses are still succeeding this way. If you consistently produce high-quality, helpful material aimed at a specific audience, Google will see the results and your site’s authority in that area will grow.

Quit while you’re ahead

Part of not wasting time on content is knowing your SEO and your audience. Certain keywords won’t be worth trying for. For instance, if you’re writing promotional content for your new specific green-coloured mobile, chances are you’ll get nowhere with the primary keyword “apple phone”. Take time researching potential keywords for your articles. Look at frequently asked questions in SERPs, or use the free Answer the Public tool.

Keyword choice based on number of SERP results:

• 10,000 or less – Go for it!
• 10,000 to 100,000 – A good chance at seeing visible results
• 100,000 to 1million – Will meet with resistance
• More than 1million – Unlikely to be worth the hassle

According to SEO Tribunal, 60% of consumers think more positively of a company after reading their custom content. Blogs can persuade the reader to buy something, assure them that your company is an expert/human, and create more links and traffic to your site. So why wouldn’t you carry on writing content?

The key is to find a new approach to a subject, and there are many ways to do so. Whether it’s the same content with new visuals, or a more in-depth coverage, or a niche such as a local spin or specific focus. As long as you’re bringing something new to the SERP tables, it’s worthwhile for your business.