Introduction to Scatter Content Writing
Scatter content writing is a digital content marketing strategy that involves creating a large volume of loosely related, search engine optimized articles, blog posts, videos and other types of content on a wide range of topics within a general domain. The goal of scatter content writing is to attract search traffic by publishing hundreds or thousands of pieces of content that each targets long-tail keyphrases. This strategy differs from typical content creation approaches that focus on deeply covering a few narrowly focused topics.
Some key aspects of effective scatter content writing include targeting long-tail keywords with low search volumes but high commercial intent, varying the depth and breadth of coverage for different topics, properly linking content together to create a coherent customer experience, and optimizing content for readability in addition to search. When done well, scatter content can help websites rank for many relevant keywords and questions while building an extensive online knowledge base that attracts and engages visitors. It also requires more effort to maintain relevance and quality at scale.
History and Evolution of Scatter Content Writing
The scatter content approach originated in the early 2010s as search engines like Google started emphasizing relevance, readability and customer experience more than keyword density and spammy link building tactics. As algorithms evolved, websites saw benefits from covering topics broadly with varying depths rather than depth alone. Early adopters like wiki-style websites, online encyclopedias and general information sites noticed gains from adding many loosely related articles with internal links.
This led to the rise of digital media companies purely focused on creating vast amounts of scatter content through outsourcing writers. The goal was search traffic rather than building authority in narrow verticals. It proved an effective strategy as Google prioritized fresh, extensive coverage rather than just deep domain expertise. By the mid-2010s, companies producing thousands of articles per month through distributed writing teams dominated search results for many commercial intent keywords.
Maintaining quality at extreme scale through outsourcing proved challenging. Many scatter content sites suffered credibility issues as articles became thinner and more promotional over time. Search algorithms also began factoring other signals of quality like dwell time, bounce rate and backlinks in addition to coverage. This shifted the focus to a balanced approach combining topics narrowly and broadly covered at varying depths to satisfy different user and search intentions. Topics requiring more expertise still benefited from deep, authoritative content.
The Current State of Scatter Content Writing
Today’s best practices forScatter content writing involve finding the optimal balance between coverage, depth, topic mixing and quality control variables like:
Researching commercial intent keywords across different volumes, industries and topics to identify gaps with high monetization potential. This ensures topics selected will drive traffic and engagement.
Varying article lengths from 300-3000 words to accommodate different information needs, with most articles between 800-1500 words for balanced coverage and readability.
Mixing “head” and “long-tail” topics to target common keyword clusters as well as more specific informational and commercial intent.
Blending generalized topical articles with some that take deep dives with original research, assets and interviews to build recognized expertise.
Citing credible sources, avoiding promotional language and disclosing sponsor/affiliate relationships to maintain transparency and trustworthiness at scale.
Implementing editorial processes for researching topics in detail, assigning qualified writers, peer reviewing, and updating/refreshing older articles regularly.
Strategically linking content together both internally and externally with topic-relevant, semantic anchor text to strengthen the topical taxonomy and improve usability.
Monitoring key performance metrics at the topic, page and site-levels to evaluate which content resonates best for optimization and future planning purposes.
When done right with a balanced mix of coverage, specialization and quality control, scatter content remains an effective strategy for ranking well in search, driving qualified traffic and building an extensive online knowledge base searchers can intuitively explore. Its strengths lie in flexible optimization potential across publishing, technical SEO and consumer usability factors search algorithms increasingly consider today.
Applying Scatter Content Writing Strategies
Some best practices for implementing an effective scatter content writing program include:
Researching Content Gaps
Thorough competitive and keyword gap analysis helps identify underexplored commercial topics for coverage. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush and Google Keyword Planner let you filter keywords by search volume and difficulty to concentration initial efforts.
Assigning Topics
Systematically categorizing topics allows distributing to qualified writers. A content calendar or project management system helps schedule publish dates and deadlines.
Guiding with Briefs
Providing research-backed briefs for each assigned topic ensures consistency and depth. Briefs outline keyword targets, recommended coverage areas, suggested sources and a style guide.
Establishing Editorial Process
Implementing checks like peer reviews, fact checking and updates promotes accuracy and continuity. Tracking revisions in a CMS maintains version control and history.
Building Internal Links
Strategically linking new and existing pages together based on related topics strengthens the topical taxonomy and readability.
Promoting with Social Sharing
Leveraging social platforms raises awareness of fresh articles to qualified audiences and boosts traffic. Consistent publishing maintains freshness.
Analyzing Performance
Google Analytics and keyword rank trackers offers insights into which types and lengths of content perform best to refine strategy. Technical SEO validates site Speed, Mobile-Friendliness and indexing.
Maintaining Quality at Scale
Ongoing staff training, style guides and editorial oversight ensures consistent standards while expanding coverage. Automated plagiarism checks prevent issues.
Refreshing Content
Older articles benefit from updates with new facts, studies images or restructuring stagnant pages to focus evolving keyword demand. This sustains relevance over the long run.
An effective scatter content approach requires ongoing research, streamlined processes and optimization to maximize discovery and engage targeted audiences at a large, sustainable scale. When implemented properly it remains highly effective for driving qualified traffic and establishing domain expertise across multiple topics.
Scatter Content Writing Examples
Here are a few examples of scatter content implementation across different domains:
Encyclopedia/reference site – Thousands of articles 1-3 pages in length covering diverse general topics from science to history to culture to satisfy wide-ranging search intent. Internal linking and cross-links strengthen related topical sections.
E-commerce category pages – Mixing longer guides/reviews for flagship products with scatter pages of 1-2 paragraphs briefly introducing other product lines. Enhances coverage of long-tail search and browsing.
Service provider website – Blending deep-dive enterprise case studies and solution briefs with hundreds of topic-centric blog posts targeting commercial and educational intents in the sector.
News/media company – Publishing 20-50 shorter 500 word articles daily covering various desktop, mobile and social optimized topics to maintain freshness. Topic taxonomy and structured tags aid discovery.
Higher education information portal – In-depth program/school pages interspersed with general articles on choosing a university, financial aid, studying abroad catering to student/parent researcher needs.
Industry association website – Thought leadership landing pages accompanied by a library of scatter pages exploring various perspectives on conference themes, member spotlights and research reports keeping member interest areas covered.
Done right across various industries and content types, scatter content widens search coverage and discovery across complementary topics that engage targeted audiences. Integrated across owned, earned and social channels it strengthens digital presence and elevates as a top resource.
Andrew Stroud