There’s nothing worse than an embarrassing first impression. When a reader consumes your content for the first time, you want to leave them feeling confident that you know what the heck you’re talking about. That’s why conducting proper research before you speak to the masses is ever important. This week’s newsletter is about mastering the art of great research, utilizing Google to its fullest potential, and knowing when a source is dependable. Let’s go!<\/em> <\/p>\n In this week’s issue \ud83d\udce8<\/strong><\/p>\n Was this email forwarded to you? <\/em>Subscribe here<\/em><\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n If you want to use your creative work to solve problems, one of the first steps is to be an upright researcher. With so much information out there, researching a subject you’re passionate about can feel overwhelming, but there’s always a way to keep a clear head and streamline the process so you can build brand credibility while capturing your audience’s attention.<\/p>\n Let’s break down how to create standout articles using modern research<\/a> so you can solve problems and gain trust.<\/p>\n Define your goals<\/strong><\/p>\n Explore your ideas and gather resources<\/strong><\/p>\n Connect the dots and organize<\/strong><\/p>\n Scope out the competition<\/strong><\/p>\n Remember when searching for something online was clean and simple? Most of us use Google to find what we need, but these days, a simple search may lead to more confusing questions rather than fulfilling answers. This is where search operators<\/a> come into play. These are special characters and commands that make your search results more focused, so you can get the exact info you were expecting.<\/p>\n Joshua Hardwick, Head of Content at Ahrefs<\/strong>, provides advanced ways to use Google search operators<\/a> to speed up your search.<\/p>\n #1 Find indexing issues<\/strong> using “site:” or if you’re only looking for search results from a particular website. Don’t want a web page of your own showing up in Google? Block it with noindex rules<\/a>. <\/p>\n #2 Analyze your competitors<\/strong> using “related:” to find websites that align with your niche. This can also give you some insight into how Google categorizes your own website. To review a competitor’s site traffic, use a traffic checker<\/a>.<\/p>\n #3 Locate files<\/strong> using “filetype:” to find specific files you need or don’t want showing up in Google. If you have certain content behind a paywall, you wouldn’t want someone finding it for free. You can noindex these files<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n\n
Reliable resources<\/h2>\n
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Interesting stories & ideas \ud83d\udcda<\/h2>\n
Smooth operator<\/h2>\n
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