How to create “differentiated” SEO content: The Hackmamba's approach

A distant, outspoken connection always argues that "differentiated SEO content" is an oxymoron. He believes the algorithm inherently punishes differentiation and rewards conformity. Amanda Chicago Lewis's article, ‘The People Who Ruined the Internet,’ perfectly echoes this frustration with her caustic observation:

"...Many people are frustrated with their ability to find information online, which translates to the quality of Google Search results. They describe the links that appear when searching for answers as 'absolutely unusable,' 'garbage,' and 'a nightmare' because 'a lot of the content doesn't feel authentic.' Some blame Google itself, a trillion-dollar corporation with a near-monopoly on online search, for corrupting access to truth. But others point the finger at the practitioners of the mysterious art of search engine optimization, or SEO."

As an SEO professional, I find myself sharing this sentiment. In my previous article, ‘The future of content is collaborative, not competitive,’ I also bemoaned the prevalence of uniform content on the Internet.

Given the current state of the internet, this outrage is justified. However, we can either complain about the formulaic nature of SEO content and point fingers all day or take action to create content that stands out while still following SEO principles. I'm choosing the latter, and that's exactly what this article aims to achieve.

The two major reasons behind undifferentiated SEO content

The culprits are the top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) content and the writer. Let me explain.

1. Going for TOFU content

Let's be honest, creating differentiated content for TOFU topics like "what is frontend development" or "what is composability" is such a sweet struggle. The search intent behind these terms is inherently similar, leading to a certain level of conformity. Yes, there are established conventions in this space, and any given Search Engine Results Page (SERP) will likely cover similar ground: definitions, historical context, importance, etc. At Hackmamba, we encourage our writers to leverage their expertise even in TOFU content. But there's a limit to how much you can reinvent the wheel.

2. Who writes it (expert or not?)

Many agencies rely on freelance writers who might lack deep subject-matter expertise. They're handed briefs, and there they go, scraping ideas from existing top-ranking pieces, perpetuating a vicious cycle of repetitive content. Hackmamba's philosophy is that our writers are engineers first and writers second. We have practicing engineers across various disciplines, such as DevOps, Machine Learning, Blockchain, AI, Web development, etc., who actively build projects and then write about their experiences.

Wait, are you saying Google is not to be blamed? 🤔

LOL. Absolutely not. Regular readers of this blog know my criticisms of Google aren't exactly veiled. From a broader perspective, Google is essentially a collection of complex algorithms that, while once effective, seem to be going off the rails.

Danny Goodwin terms it ‘a chicken-or-the-egg situation’ where content came first, then Google. But now, Google holds a search monopoly, wielding the power to send torrents of valuable search traffic – or leave you with next to nothing. Much like a ‘feast-or-famine’ situation.

So yes, Google deserves a lot of the blame… as much as content creators. We're stuck in a frustrating loop where creators mimic mediocre content because it ranks well and then churn out more of the same, hoping to replicate success. This repetitive cycle results in a mountain of uninspired content that Google now has difficulty making sense of and ranking effectively.

Google has been trying to combat this issue through algorithm updates, like the March core update, and even incorporating AI overviews (formerly known as SGE). Yet, like a bad habit, things seem to be getting worse.

When you understand how bots crawl and make sense of content and how human readers consume content, you’ll agree that both agencies need to do better.

How bots rank content and how humans consume content

The algorithm’s POV:

• Keywords in the title, subheadings, and body copy all tell the algorithm what the piece is about.
• Engagement metrics like scroll depth, click-through rate, and time on the page tell the algorithm if the content is any good.
• Modified re-search, such as if users bounce back to the SERP or click another result, tells the algorithm if the search intent was satisfied (these are all confirmed ranking signals according to recently leaked Google data).

The human’s POV:

• Does the topic cover the essentials and deliver what I need?
• Does it offer new insights or knowledge I didn't know I needed?
• Does it acknowledge my challenges and show me how to overcome them?
• Does it pique my curiosity and make me want to explore further?

If content achieves these human goals, guess what happens? Increased scrolling, longer read time and more page visits – all confirmed ranking signals.

Practical ways of achieving differentiated SEO content

Here are some actionable strategies:

1. Go for MOFU/BOFU content rather

As mentioned earlier, sweating over differentiation in TOFU content can be a thankless task. Even pros like myself grapple with creating unique informational articles. I constantly seek fresh perspectives and new information to deliver true "information gain" for readers.

However, the middle and bottom of the sales funnel (MOFU and BOFU) are your playgrounds for differentiation in SEO content. Comparison articles ("Product A vs. Product B"), case studies, white papers, industry reports, research, product specifications, and FAQs – these formats inherently resist copy-pasting. At Hackmamba, we encourage clients to prioritize MOFU and BOFU content. It stands out and creates a moat around your content in an age where AI can easily handle informational (TOFU) search queries.

2. JTBD (Jobs-to-be-Done) focused tutorials

There are no such things as two identical technical guides (unless they're blatantly copied, which is a bad look for everyone). Tutorials are inherently product-specific, and each product has its unique way of achieving a desired outcome. Definitely, the underlying "Job-to-be-Done" (JTBD) might be similar, but the approach varies greatly between different tools. This inherent difference makes copy-pasting tutorials a recipe for disaster.

3. Switch to your disruptive ideas and approaches

While I may have spent the previous sections sounding like the TOFU content police, there is a path to differentiation, even at the top of the funnel. The key lies in offering a fresh perspective or a disruptive approach. This is exactly what I aimed to achieve with this post on "Content Distribution on a Budget." You'll likely notice a significant departure from the typical, formulaic steps dominating search results for this topic.

Similarly, SaaS companies can leverage their unique value proposition to create disruptive or unconventional TOFU content. A great example is Smartlook's approach to the seemingly saturated topic of "How to Do Funnel Analysis in GA." They openly acknowledged the shortcomings of traditional methods and presented a solution centered on their tool, Smartlook.

4. Review your approach to creating content briefs

I've spent years creating content briefs for writers and can identify two approaches: top-down and bottom-up.

• In the top-down, content briefs are handled by the SEO specialist who researches ranking articles, culls the necessary data, uses the information to prepare briefs, hands them over to the writers, and then follows up with the optimization.

• The bottom-up approach involves writers developing briefs based on their expertise and knowledge of the topic. The briefs are then reviewed by the content/SEO specialist and optimized to meet SEO guidelines.

The first approach quickly leads to the grim scenario I captured in this article, except the Content Specialist cares so much about their clients and understands the 'information gain' principle.

At Hackmamba, the top-down approach enables us to ‘architect’ content to meet our client's product goals because, admittedly, technical writers are not marketers and often fail to capture the essence of the product they are writing about. Someone must ensure the content objective is met—that's where the top-down approach works. However, as I mentioned, we put rigorous measures to ensure our content is differentiated.

On the other hand, the bottom-up approach is the gold standard for differentiated content, but you will have to do a lot of work later to revise it to SEO standards. We switch between these approaches at Hackmamba depending on the situation and the client's needs.

Final word:

Always keep this in mind whichever method you choose: "There's something even better than landing on the first page of search results for a topic you care about. It's creating content that makes people say, "These folks really know their stuff." Content that makes friends ask, "Who's behind your content?"