My RANT on Noisy Posts!
This post may be a little controversial, since I am going to attack the content style of someone you all may think is a demi-god in this industry. But well, that's why its called a rant. I am going to let out something that is bothersome to me.
We all know we write primarily for our audience. But then, if we want our audience to find us, we have to keep Google in mind. As a matter of fact a lot of people write first for Google, and then for their audience. We also know that Google prefers longer posts with a cocktail of other content like images and videos etc. The longer your post is, the more likely it is that Google will view it as resourceful, relevant, informative and rank it higher.
As an individual, I personally don't like extremely long or noisy posts. I was looking at one of Neil Patel's posts the other day - Most of us know that he is a leader in the industry and anything he does works - You can say he has the Midas Touch here. I usually find myself scrolling down his pages, when trying to read his posts and clicking then clicking on something else, and something else and you before I start, I'm out!
If I must read his posts, then I feel urged to print it out. On paper I seem to handle his posts better, but does that not defeat the purpose of reading online?
So what is the problem with Neil Patel's posts?
Is it the strong contrasting colors, or the image icons on every other paragraph, or the noisy little images popping out at you from all over the page? It is almost like being in a candy shop of content! It may work for some, but I am literally screeching - Get me out of here!
See what I mean here: https://www.quicksprout.com/the-advanced-guide-to-...
So I started to wonder, if I can't read his posts without effort on my part;and believe me, I can read anything, wouldn't this be the same for most other visitors to his site.
Is Information overload still Marketable?
While Neil's posts are very informative, it does (in my opinion) have the effect of affording too much information - which in my opinion is clutter or noise. This is a problem I find rampant on the internet. It is not like you cannot find what you are looking for without having to pay for it online, its just that there is way too much going on. Everyone has something to tell you, everyone is re-telling what the other has told, information may be unverifiable, too many opinions, too many topics, too tutorials, and all coming from too many experts.
As a result, we pay for individuals that have mastered simplicity to sort through the madness and spoon-feed it to us in a way we can easily get what we need and leave the clutter behind.
Compare Neil's posts to other industry leaders like WA's Kyle, or Pat Flynn's or even co-WAers like PJ Germain and Tony Hamilton (I could name 10 WAers more but let's keep it simple). These individuals have a writing style that offers more information in a simplistic way than in a way that will definitely impress Google but then turn off the average reader.
So my point?
While we truly write for Google (and we should or dread getting lost on the web), let's also keep in mind that our page visitors, those who become loyal to us and affect our conversions are real human beings. And while they may have been impressed by a certain level of noise yesterday, these older tools and styles re becoming reduntant. People are evolving in the way they choose ingest their information, and as a result, you should too!
So, in all - Keep it simple!
Rant over - Have a great Thursday!
Recent Comments
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Great Statment, and I agree, I am leaning to learn for what is coming at us for the future. Past works but the future will be better. and if I have to read 100r 20 differant things on a page that all direct me to the same thing, then they are wasting my time. so i junk it.
Yup! You have to keep evolving or you will get left behind! And I do agree, no body wants to waste their time online. We can't even get enough time to do the things we want! Thanks for the comment.
Bravo, I'm with you. I would not read it. i can't focus that long on that much 'stuff' you call it clutter.
I am no expert, but I know what i read, so that's the way I write.
Thanks. And that was why I wrote this post. I don't consider myself an expert, so I can't speak from an expert point of view. But I do consider myself the type of reader who makes up the audience. From this point of view I can speak candidly. The lesson is more for myself and others like me who are trying to build an audience and just a reminder to pay attention to what our readers are looking for. Thanks for your input.
Hi Mimi,
Yea, I love Neil and that specific post you linked to is quite "loud" to me. I am color-blind, but also only have one eye and it was stressful trying to read that thing again. And, yep, Neil is known for his "dissertation" type posts. OMG! LOL!!
Regardless, I love your writing and the great input and insights from the responses here. Good stuff. Also, I'm honored that you even mentioned my name! Wow!
Thanks very much!
Cheers,
pj
Funny I love Neil too which is why I am bothered by his posts. You definitely deserved the mention, I do admire your writing style and you have shared enough information here on content to make everyone aware of your value. So I should be saying thank you! :)
Glad to know I'm not the only one to feel this way. I mean, yes, shake it up a little-but don't drive me away before I see what you are trying to sell.
Ranting is good. I love the way you write and what you have to say, but since this is a discussion I will disagree on one point, I love Neil Patel's organization and clarity, and I don't find it noisy at all. I have seen many sites that are like walking in to a cluttered house and I don't even take the time to find out if the content is valuable or not but I feel comfortable on Neil's site. I think my own site is much noisier and that is something I am trying to get a handle on.
Thanks for the great post! I love a good rant.
Thanks for the comment. There are two sides to every argument. Neil is definitely a leader in this industry, I can't take that away from him, and I am sure there are more people he appeals to than less. So I do love having your input.
It comes back to knowing your audience, whilst I agree that Neil's posts are very long his target audience are experienced SEO experts who want that level of detail on a topic.
In WA the target audience are largely beginners who need short, sharp inputs and then need time to implement and think about the information, so Kyle is writing for a very different audience.
Some people prefer video and others like lots of images - once you know what works for your audience then you can keep producing that kind of content.
I sort of agree. 5 years ago, I was that part of Neil's audience that was enjoying the graphics and so on, because they were new to me. Also, information dumping was also pretty new, so the posts seemed very valuable. But if I read your post today and learn nothing new, you definitely are targeting a younger audience. If you are writing about the ABCs of traffic, then you are targeting a younger audience.
I mentioned Pat Flynn in this post, because he is someone that I feel has grown with his audience, going from posts to podcasting and trying out new things everyday, yet keeps it simple. Neil has stayed with the same content style for too long - He's audience is growing and he should be too.
WA targets newbies, but in researching trainers, plus in signing up with many - a lot of feedback on WA is that they speak to both the newbie and the expert.
Coming back to your comment. It is all about your audience, and this is where we both agree. I do greatly appreciate your view!
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I totally agree. I tend to skim most articles online because they are too long, so I just look for headings that interest me and read those parts. I think a long post can still be valuable if it is structured well so that it is easily navigable so the reader can quickly get to the parts that they want.
I agree too. Long posts are great when properly structured and truly interesting!