How to Do Content Research to Plan One Year of Content

Many businesses and entrepreneurs focus on the here and now when it comes to content planning. They'll create a content calendar for the next month or two, but they don't think about long-term content planning. In this post, you'll learn how to do content research to plan one year of content for your website or blog.

That's a mistake. If you want to keep your blog or website fresh, you need to plan for content ideas beyond the next few weeks or months. That’s why I’ve made this video to help you generate 1 year of content in 7 days or less using my content strategies.

So in this post, you're going to learn how to do content research on premium tools like Ahrefs and marketplaces like Udemy or Amazon. You'll also learn about finding popular topics on Google Trends, social media, and ExplodingTopics. 

Sounds great? Let's start right now. 

How to Do Content Research on Premium Tools

There are many different ways to do content research, but using Ahrefs is a great way to get started. It's a tool that helps you find content ideas, track your website's backlinks, and monitor your competitors' websites.

It's an all-in-one tool that can help you with your content research needs. That's why it has tons of features to use. But I will tell you the ones that I have personally used.

My niche is digital marketing which is one of the toughest niches to crack in. Here's is my strategy to find tons of content topics with less competition:

#1 Create your account on Ahrefs

Ahrefs offers three pricing plans: Lite, Standard, Advanced, and Agency. They cost $99, $179, $399, $999 respectively. Pay annually, and you'll get two months free.

Once you have created your account, you are ready to dive into tons of content ideas for any niche.

#2 Search for Content Ideas on Keyword Explorer

Keyword Explorer is a tool in Ahrefs that lets you research keywords. You can enter a keyword, and Ahrefs will show you how many monthly searches it gets its competition level and some other related keywords.

This is great for finding blog post topics because you can see how popular a keyword is and how much competition there is.

People use KD (Keyword Difficulty) to determine how hard it would be to rank for a keyword. The higher the KD, the more difficult it is to rank for that keyword.

But I want to rank for primary keywords in my niche, which is hard! So I do this:

Enter your primary keyword in ‘Keyword Explorer.'

Click on ‘Phrase Match' or ‘Related Terms' on the left menu bar. 

Set minimum Volume to be 300.

Hover over to SERPs Overview for these keywords. 

And hunt for the sites under 30 DR on SERPs. 

If you find such a keyword, it means that your site has a chance to rank for it. It's because I consider the 30 Domain Rating to be relatively less. Another reason is that my site's DR is 59, which is considerably high!

Anyway, your mission is to find gateway target keywords with this method. And once you have found a few keywords, start creating content around them. 

Alternatively, Use SEMRush, Ubersuggest, and H-Supertools to Do Content Research

SEO is a long-term game that takes a lot of hard work. But using the right tools can make the process a lot easier. Ahrefs is one of those tools, and there are tons of others. SEMRush and Ubersuggest are the paid ones. 

And if you are tight on budget, you can use H-Supertools Keyword Research Tool, which is free. 

Here's how you do it:

• Go to H-Supertools Keyword Research Tool.
• Enter your primary keyword.
• And search for finding tons of keyword ideas for you. 

And that's just it! The tool is free-forever because I want to offer it for free, but I run ads, of course. You can find a lot of great content ideas using this tool.

So there you have it! My method for finding tons of content topics using Ahrefs and other tools. It's worked well for me, and I hope it will

How to Do Content Research on Online Marketplaces

Content helps you attract new visitors and boost your search engine rankings. But creating a year's worth of content can be daunting – especially if you're not sure where to start.

I'm here to share some of the under-served ways to find out the content for your website or blog. So now, I'll be focusing on online marketplaces, as they are an excellent source for content inspiration.

To get started, you'll need to know your website's or blog's audience and what type of content they're most interested in. You can find this information by doing some research on online marketplaces.

#1 Do Content Research on Course Marketplace

And this is how you do it:

#1 Go to Udemy.

#2 Search for keywords related to your niche.

#3 Select 0-1 hour duration and analyze them.

#4 Create a complete course on those topics. 

And you can create blog posts, articles, and videos based on your content research. 

Another method is to make use of marketplace insights. And this is how you do it:

#1 Go to Udemy.

#2 Click on ‘Instructor.'

#3 Hover over to the dashboard.

#4 Click on ‘Marketplace Insight'

#5 Enter the keyword you want to create content or course around. 

#6 Analyze the insights about that topic.

You can make a course and sell it on Udemy or your site. And start creating content around it. And you can also create other content types. 

#2 Do Content Research on Amazon Books

So, you've decided to do some content research on Amazon books. You can search for specific books, browse book categories, or look at bestsellers.

But here's how to use Amazon Books to find content ideas for one year ahead:

#1 Go to Amazon.

#2 Search for your keyword in ‘Books.'

#3 Select a book and click on it.

#4 Analyze the outline.

#5 And get content ideas based on the outlines. 

That's how you research Amazon Books. Analyzing outlines will give you an idea of what the book is about, and it can help you come up with ideas for blog posts, articles, or even products.

How to Find Trending Topics And Do Content Research

There's no doubt that having fresh, new content on your website is vital for keeping visitors engaged and coming back for more. But how do you come up with new topics to write about when everything is already there on the net?

One great way is to find trending topics and create content. This can be a great way to attract new visitors to your website and keep them coming back for more.

There are several ways to find trending topics. Here are a few methods:

#1 Use Google Trends to Do Content Research

Google Trends is a free online tool that lets you see how often particular keywords are being searched for on Google. You can use this tool to find out what topics are trending right now and create content around those topics.

Simply enter a keyword or phrase into the search bar and hit “enter.” The results will show how often that particular keyword has been searched over time. You can also use the “Hot Trends” tab on the left-hand side of the page to see which topics are trending right now.

Or go trends.google.com/trends/hottrends/visualize to see the hottest topics people are searching for!

#2 Use Social Media Platforms.

Another great way to find out what's trending is to check out social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube. Both platforms have tools that allow you to see the most popular topics at the time. 

For YouTube, go to https://youtube.com/feed/trending.

For Reddit, search for ‘Rising' topics.

And for Twitter, go to https://twitter.com/explore to find trending topics.

And there are many more social media sites you can explore. What matters most is where your audience is. 

Explore ExplodingTopics

This site is a goldmine for new content ideas for your website. It's a wonderful way to do content research on your topics and to get new perspectives on what is hot right now.

All you need to do is enter a keyword or topic, and the site will give you a host of ideas for content that you can create based on that topic. 

But to discover the newest topics, six months before they take off, you need to pay $147 for ‘Entrepreneur' or $397 per month for the ‘Investor' plan. There's a 30% discount when writing this post if you opt for an annual subscription. 

But don't worry, I'm here to help you out. I have bought a plan, and I will share the trending topics with you on my YouTube channel. So subscribe below to get notified when I post my latest video.

Create 11 Different Content Types to Plan Content for One Year Ahead

When it comes to content planning, using a variety of content types is a great way to keep things interesting.  

That's why I've put together this list of 11 content types to plan content for one year ahead. By having a plan for each of these content types, you'll have no trouble coming up with ideas for new content.

#1 Comparison Posts 

Comparison posts are a popular type of content and can be a great way to help your audience make decisions. When creating comparison posts, be sure to do your research and back up your points with data.

Use a lot of bullets and images to make it easy for your readers to scan and compare the different options.

#2 Product reviews

People search for product reviews before they make a purchase online. If you're an expert on a particular product, why not share your thoughts in a blog post or video? Be specific on benefits and relevant to your audience. 

And, don't forget to include images and videos to show that your review is honest! A bad review can break the trust of your audience.

#3 How-to Tutorials

Tutorials are a great way to help your audience learn something new. If you can teach your audience how to do something, they'll appreciate it. So, share your knowledge with your audience in a how-to post.

How-to posts are always popular with readers and can be a great way to show your expertise. When creating how-to posts, be sure to make them easy to follow and include lots of images or videos.

#4 List Articles (Listicles)

List posts are a great way to share lots of information concisely. They're also popular with audiences, so you can be sure that your readers will love them. 

Lists are another type of content that consistently do well with readers. When creating lists, be sure to make them exciting and well-researched.

#5 Templates & Resources

Posts filled with valuable resources and valuable templates are a great way to help your audience. When creating these posts, include all of the required information and make them easy to follow. 

When creating these posts, ensure to make them comprehensive as well. For example, I have created a post to list some of the best templates for Blogger users. Aso, I've shared the best content marketing templates for affiliate marketing. 

#6 Ultimate Guides

Have you created tons of posts and run out of content ideas? If yes, then creating ultimate guides based on those posts is a great way to repurpose content. 

An ultimate guide is a post that compiles all the information your audience needs on a particular topic. When creating an ultimate guide, ensure to make it through. And for that, you'll need to do a lot of research. 

#7 Toolkits

Also, you want to help your audience by recommending the right tools at the right time. The posts you recommend tools to your audience are known as toolkit posts. These content types make you some affiliate commission as well. 

#8 Story Content Types

People love stories. If you can tell a good story, your readers will love you for it. When creating story content, ensure to make it interesting and engaging. 

Story content is a great way to connect with your audience and help them learn more about you. That's why sites like StarterStory.Com are successful and get consistent traffic. 

My story about building H-Supertools has also been published on Starter Story.

And you can also do the same for your blog or site. 

#9 Case Studies

A case study is similar to a story but focuses on the data. This is what makes my site and channel unique. I always use data and proof to back up my point and experience. 

Case studies help your audience learn more about how you achieved success. They also provide valuable insights that can help your audience make better decisions.

#10 eBooks

eBooks are a great way to provide value to your audience. They can also be a great lead generation tool, as they allow you to capture leads' contact information in exchange for a free eBook.

When creating an eBook, ensure it's relevant to your audience and provides value. For example, I've made a few books on H-Educate that attract my audience. 

You can also use eBooks as a way to drive traffic to your website or blog. For example, I include a call-to-action at the end of my eBooks that encourages readers to visit my website.

#11 User-Generated Content (UGC)

UGC is content that's created by your audience. This can take the form of blog posts, social media posts, videos, and more.

When it comes to UGC, the key is to encourage your audience to create content. You can do this by providing them with a platform to share their thoughts. For example, I've created H-Educate Forums to help you to share your thoughts on digital marketing.

You can also encourage your audience to create content by providing contests or giveaways. For example, I've run a few contests on my YouTube channel, Instagram, and blog as well.

FAQs on How to Do Content Research to Plan One Year of Content

Now is the time to answer some of the most common questions I receive about content research and content planning.

How do I determine what to write about?

The first step in content research is to determine your topic areas. You can brainstorm a list of topics that are relevant to your audience, or you can use keyword research to determine the topics your audience is searching for online.

Once you have a list of topic areas, you can start brainstorming ideas for content within those topics. You can use your audience's needs and interests as a guide, or you can brainstorm ideas based on popular trends and news stories.

How to do content research?

Before you jump on the research, decide on the three to four major categories in your niche. After that, you can do content research using tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, and free-forever H-Supertools. All you need is to enter a keyword in your niche and enter! You'll find tons of content ideas along with some important metrics.

What is the purpose of keyword research?

The purpose of keyword research is to identify the words and phrases that people use to search for information online. By understanding what keywords your audience is using, you can create content that better meets their needs.

You can use a variety of different tools to conduct keyword research, including Google AdWords Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and Google Search Console.

What are some other ways to come up with content ideas?

In addition to keyword research, there are a number of other ways you can come up with content ideas. You can look at popular trends in your industry, read news stories, and check out what your competitors are writing about. You can also use social media and your existing audience to do content research.

Conclusion: How to Do Content Research to Plan One Year of Content

Creating content is essential for any blog or website. But, not all content is created equal. That's why you need to focus on creating content that's interesting and engaging for your audience. Do you want more? Then download this ebook for tons of content ideas.

The content types listed above are a great way to get started. But, remember to always do your research and test different types of content to see what works best for you. Also, create your content distribution strategy to plan your content effectively. 

After the research, you may write a blog post fast to meet your goals. Do you have any questions about the content types listed above? Let me know in the comments below. I'll be more than happy to help.