Living in the age of massively popular viral content, you may feel pressured to create content that is sure to get shared by the masses. While effective at grabbing attention, the life of such shareable content is assuredly short. Therefore, the lifetime value of this content is questionable. The solution? Linkable content, or content that is value and research driven. It may not be shared as rapidly but will continue to regularly attract quality referrals to your website.

However, linkable content doesn’t have to be a weighty creation like The Fallen Of World War II, an interactive documentary website. It can also be a how-to piece like the How to Jailbreak Your Kindle.

Let us now understand a few factors for you to consider while creating linkable content:

1. Authority and credibility

A linkable content piece stands on two pillars: the credibility of the source and authoritative command of the field the piece represents. Both these criteria can be met by ensuring that the content is backed by thorough and systematic research.

It helps to provide links of the sources consulted to allow consumers to seek more details. It also provides an additional context for facts that may have been included. Further, this adds to the already existing authenticity of the source, reinforcing the respect for the brand.

2. Facts and statistics 

A well-researched piece is one that can be backed up with good references. Having relevant facts and sources in your content definitely makes it more link-worthy.

Moreover, a study conducted by Moz and Buzzsumo found that 85% of long-form content pieces had more referral links than short articles.

Related – Amazing Content Marketing Statistics to show that it works

3. Niche audience

Linkable content differs from shareable content in terms of its intended audience. It is neither created for general consumption nor to go viral. Instead, this form of content stays relevant given its in-depth research and selection of themes.

This requires the content to be focussed towards a specific niche, ensuring its relevance. For example, the kind of content BDO India publishes is specifically aimed towards other businesses looking for tax and advisory services.

4. Linkable content has evergreen utility

Linkable content is created with the aim of ensuring its relevance over time. This can be facilitated by updating data and factoids sourced to ensure it remains updated. This will not only cater to your readers but also help you earn brownie points with Google since freshness of content is a ranking factor.

5. Stylistically and grammatically well-written

One of the obvious factors for websites to seek links is the stylistic flow and ease of comprehension of an article.  Basic pre-requisites like grammatical correctness and flow are the least that must be ensured, even before the depth of content is evaluated. A study revealed that 59% of users would not prefer buying from a company whose website has poor grammar.

6. Plenty of visual aids

Visual aids like images, videos, and design significantly enhance the reading experience. 32% of marketers state that content-wise, visuals contribute the most to their business.

wikiHow is a great example; each one of its guides features easy-to-understand content that is accompanied by explanatory images.

Wrapping up

Think from the perspective of a consumer when you draft strategies for creating linkable content. It will definitely help you figure out what you need.