Skip to content
Blog Marketing AcademyBlog Marketing Academy
  • WPConcierge
  • ServicesExpand
    • WP Speed FixFix your site’s performance
    • Strategy CallsMake your business… my business.
    • Implementation SessionsBook it. Then let’s build it.
    • Technical ServicesGet my hands-on help with your site.
    • HostingFast, reliable web hosting managed for you
    • Concierge ToolkitThe tools and services I use
    • Anytime CreditsUse credits to book calls and services.
    • TestimonialsWhat clients have said
    • All Client Services
  • ContentExpand
    • BlogLatest articles, guides and reviews
    • Video LibraryTutorials, training series and much more.
    • NewsletterArchives of the weekly newsletter, WP Edge
    • YouTubeFree tutorials, reviews, tips and WordPress training
    • DocumentsLibrary of worksheets and documents
    • Podcast ArchivesArchived episodes of my podcast
    • View All The Latest
  • About
Free Stuff
Account Client Login
Blog Marketing Academy

Issue #32

[GROW-16] How to do an 80/20 Content Analysis

Sent onNovember 21, 2017

Blogging doesn’t have to be high maintenance.

It’s all about how you manage it. Traditionally, blogging is treated like an online journal and is looked at like a publisher. This means, you feel compelled to post quite often and this gives blogging the reputation of being very time consuming. Many businesses end up writing off the idea of blogging because they think it’ll take too much time.

But, blogging strategically is a different thing entirely…. and is the name of the game in terms of what I advocate here at the Blog Marketing Academy.

Strategic blogging isn’t about blogging by calendar. Instead, it is about treating each and every blog post as it’s own content marketing ASSET. And, like any asset, you optimize it for maximum ROI (return on investment). In this case, the ROI is about how well that blog post performs its marketing jobs of building your email list and growing your business.

Now, I’m a big advocate of the Redwood Strategy. I literally wrote the post about it. 🙂 The Redwood Strategy is the difference between blogging in first gear and blogging in fifth gear (metaphorically – obviously). It involves going back and doing periodic updates and optimization on past blog posts rather than constantly churning and burning new stuff.

But, how do you determine which posts to concentrate on?

We do it strategically, of course. 🙂 It’s how I roll.

Two things to keep in mind here to determine which posts to turn into Redwoods…

  1. Decide which topics, for your niche, are the hot ones and plan out major redwood posts for them. For the Academy, this is why I have redwood posts on topics like SEO, monetization, list building, blog promotion, finding your niche, etc.
  2. Do an 80/20 analysis on your archives.

You’ve likely heard of the 80/20 rule. If not, it basically says that 80% of your results come from about 20% of your efforts. In the case of our blog archives, this would mean that about 80% of our traffic and list building comes from about 20% of the posts we’ve written.

And, honestly, if your blog is anything like mine, it’s probably more like 95/5. Probably about 5% of my posts do most of the heavy lifting for me.

So, you want to determine what those are for YOUR blog. You do this with your traffic stats – likely Analytics.

Go to Behavior > Site Content > All Content.

Image

Choose a 30-day timeframe (at least). Then, show enough data rows to account for a majority of your traffic. In the Page column, you will see the URLs on your site which get the most traffic.

THOSE are the ones you definitely want to go back and optimize. Do things like:

  1. Insert a content upgrade.
  2. Optimize for time on page and secondary clicks. (see my post on SEO)
  3. Insert a tweetable or two to entice social sharing.
  4. Add more to turn it into a true redwood post.

This is the perfect way to end off this series on LEVERAGE.

Because… what makes more sense?

Writing yet another ho-hum blog post from scratch, which is likely to head off into the archives? Or… make more out of what you’ve already written?

– David


David Risley

Here’s how I help people every day…


Make everything about managing your site simpler… by having me on your team to help make sure everything goes smoothly. By providing the very best tools, the best hosting and maintaining everything for you… I’ll take care of the mechanics so you can just focus on growth.

Learn More About Concierge

  • WP Speed Fix. Get the performance scores and core web vitals for your website fixed. Let me deal with the nerdy stuff. And let’s make your site purr like a kitten.
  • Technical Service: Going cross-eyed with WordPress plugins, theme changes, membership site setup, automations? Having difficulty making it all work? I can handle it. Ala carte work, as needed. No contracts.
  • Book A Call Anytime!. You can book either a strategy call (to talk strategy and planning) or an implementation session (where we’ll work on your site together).
  • ONEPass – All Access Pass To Every Course In The Library. For one small one-time purchase, you can unlock every course in the Blog Marketing Academy library. For life.
  • Get Some Anytime Credits. Use credits on your account to book development work or calls. Credits don’t expire, so services are flexible and “pay as you go”.
Learn More About What I Do

Did you like this issue? Consider sharing the opt-in page on social media to help it grow.
And feel free to forward it on to somebody you think will benefit from it.


The WP Edge is the official weekly newsletter of the Blog Marketing Academy.

The Weekly Newsletter For Creators, Membership Site Owners, Coaches and Marketers Using WordPress
Discover new tools and strategies while keeping up with the world of WordPress. Sent on Monday mornings.
OPTIN - General Newsletter (Sidebar)
Facebook X YouTube

Categories

  • Building Your Platform
  • Email Marketing Automation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Membership Sites
  • Planning & Launch
  • Traffic & Conversion

Work With Me

  • Concierge
  • WP Speed Fix
  • Strategy Calls
  • Implementation Sessions
  • Technical Services
  • Anytime Credits
  • ONEPass Membership

Resources

  • Blog
  • Video Library
  • Newsletter Archives
  • Documents
  • About
  • Contact

Copyright © 2008-2025 | A project of David Risley Enterprises (PC Media, Inc.). All Rights Reserved.

Hosting partner: Rocket Hosting

  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • Site Map

The WP Edge is the weekly newsletter for creators, membership site owners, coaches and marketers using WordPress.

Discover new tools and strategies while keeping up with the world of WordPress. Sent on Monday mornings.

OPTIN – General Newsletter (Sidebar)

You can easily unsubscribe anytime you want. I share nothing and I flog spammers for fun.

  • Client Services
    • Concierge
    • Strategy Calls
    • Implementation Sessions
    • WP Speed Fix
    • Technical Services
    • Hosting
    • Anytime Credits
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Video Library
  • Resources
    • Concierge Toolkit
    • Newsletter
    • Documents
    • Podcast Archives
    • About
    • Contact
  • ONEPass – All Access Pass
  • Log In