Qualtrics' global head of web optimization Jared Gardner demonstrates how big-time growth involves big-time bets... and more.

1. The Seo’s Content Hub
Playbook for World Domination

2. THE SEO’S CONTENT HUB
PLAYBOOK FOR WORLD
DOMINATION
Jared Gardner,
Global Head of Web Optimization

3. Brands I’ve
worked with

4. I’ve been
adjusting to the
in house life
Small
Sketchy
Agency
Small
Legit
Agency
Big Agency In house
Fortune 500 brands.
Ecomm & B2C Lead Gen.
B2B Software.
Enterprise & SMB.
Local business, odd
national companies.

5. WHO IS QUALTRICS?

6. We are a growth
company
GROWTH BY THE NUMBERS
Revenue
growth per
year
Employees
growing over
40% per year
Customers
and ¾ of the
Fortune 100+40% +11k3K
We are racing to own the XM category
we created.

7. Big time growth
requires
big time bets

8. 29Leads
One project
K
4.3M& Users

9. That must have cost a lot of money, right?

10. Steady organic traffic growth
SEMRush - qualtrics.com/expeirence-management/*

11. Different languages, similar results

12. How?

13. ● SEO first
● Master-planned
● 100+ page site section
In-depth evergreen
content hub

14. But for real, what’s a content hub?
A multi-page web experience of evergreen content designed to completely
cover a topic.

15. Blogs get distracted, too many stakeholders, too much brand junk.
So you built a blog?

16. Do you need a content hub?
1How much of the share of
search do you own?
Competitive
landscape
Do you need to create
search volume?2
Education

17. COMPETE
High search volume
means high
competition
Share of Voice Jan, 2018Share of Voice TODAY

18. EDUCATE
Create search
volume
=CRM
Electric
Cars
Inbound
Marketing
=
=

19. Let’s build this thing

20. Domain structure

21. On domain Off domain
1
2
3
Leverage domain authority
Can be less political
1
2
3
WORKS 99% OF THE TIME DON’T DO IT, DOG
Better business value
Less tech overhead
Feels more authentic
Can be faster to market

22. On domain examples

23. Off domain examples

24. Site structure

25. Information architecture (IA)
How will you organize?
Source: Content Harmony

26. Database
Similar to a ecommerce category page, provides filters and facets.
Source: Content Harmony

27. Topic gateway
Good for combining content types, blog posts, reviews, products, etc.
Source: Content Harmony

28. Hub and spoke
One central overview with sub pages at a level 2.
Source: Content Harmony

29. Content library
Bit of a combo between a hub and spoke and database.
Source: Content Harmony

30. Level
1
Content library + hub and spoke
Level
2
Level
3
Level
4

31. Requirements

32. Speed to
market &
ease of use
Scale
Works with
increasing
complexity

33. BackendRequirementFront-endRequirements
Navigation
Featured
snippet
summary
UX features
Default styes
CTAs
Sharing
Modules
Breadcrumbs

34. Back-endRequirements
Easy text
editing
Breadcrumb
controls
Prebuilt
modules
Drag and drop
sections

35. Content strategy

36. 140Unique
words
K
XM Hub has Don’t boil the
ocean
Look for content to migrate
1
2
3
Create a phased plan
Head terms or long-tail first?

37. Map it out
1. Keyword research - know everything you want to rank for
2. Determine difficulty - are head terms feasible?
3. Group and prioritize - determine MVP, then knock of sections

38. Build content first then let Google
guide optimization
Build a lot of “good enough” content
Hub Launch
ahrefs - qualtrics.com

39. Build content first then let Google
guide optimization
Then turn striking distance content in to “best of the internet”
Next Year’s 1st
Page Terms
Hub Launch
ahrefs - qualtrics.com

40. The SEO flywheel
Links increase
authority
Links help you rank for
more competitive terms
Rank for new
term
Starting with long-tail
growing with time
Traffic brings
new links
Writers find your
content and link to it
Ability to rank
increases over
time

42. Flywheel in
action
A single page example
A little traffic leads to a few links, which
leads to a bit more traffic

43. Those aren't just junk
scraper links….

44. How not to get fired
for this

45. Conversions > Traffic
XM Hub Leads from Gated Content

46. Content upgrade model
H/T Brian Dean

47. MapCTA’stosearchintent

48. @digagardner
Thank You

49. Rapid fire case
studies

50. Calabrio -
Workforce Optimization
• Created by Avalaunch
• Ranking for 1,200 terms in 6 months
• 100+ pages

51. REI - Expert Advice
• Built in 2015
• 264,000 ranking keywords
• 600+ pages
• UGC reviews and comments

52. Atlassian - Git
• Microsite/ Hub and spoke model
• 14,000 ranking keywords
• 130+ pages
• Most CTA’s email subscription

53. HotJar- CRO Guide
• Microsite/ Hub and spoke model
• 6 Months old
• 885 ranking keywords
• 30 pages
• Also has a glossary