Content Universe

As an entrepreneur, you dream of reaching as many users and customers as possible. You do this by leveraging various channels, such as your website, social media, a newsletter, or a podcast… But those efforts take time—time you may already be short on.

At Digital Climax, we understand how important it is to reach a wide audience. What’s more, we know better than anyone just how valuable your time is. Discover how creating a Content Universe requires minimal input from your company but delivers maximum output.

A Content Universe is the totality of a company’s content spread across multiple media channels. This network, which is specific to your company, focuses on a single topic and shares your story through more than one channel. In SEO, you focus on three pillars: technology, content, and authority. A Content Universe is part of the “content” pillar.

The goal of a Content Universe is to efficiently build thought leadership. In this context, you—as an individual or a company—act as an expert in your field. How? By identifying what matters most to your users and discussing these issues across as many different channels as possible.

In addition to technical aspects and authority, SEO is based on content. To write content that’s relevant to your business, you need the right input. Instead of emailing, calling, or conducting online interviews, we invite you to our recording studio once a quarter.

Armed with a camera and microphone, we’ll listen to your company’s story. This audio and video footage will serve as the foundation for all your content creation. This way, you can generate a lot of additional content from the same input and save valuable time.

Building this universe always starts with comprehensive keyword research. By identifying your target audience’s search intent, you gain insight into what matters to them. Look for the questions users are asking. Think of search queries like “how do I replace the filter in my refrigerator” or “how do I build an SEO-friendly website.” These topics form the basis for your outline and your initial content.

The type of content you start with depends on your keywords and the issues you’re focusing on. If you’re discussing a topic by answering users’ questions, a webinar or podcast is ideal. Does your target audience need an informative tutorial? Then we’ll head out together and film footage on location. This way, you give users a behind-the-scenes look and put your words into practice.

As an expert in your field, you share useful information on a specific topic. This content forms the foundation of your Content Universe. You then transform this specific information into video and audio messages, later into long-form recordings, shorts, blogs, and finally into YouTube videos, Spotify clips, social media posts, and website articles.

In just a few hours, you’ll create a treasure trove of useful information that you can open and consult at any time.

Are you an expert in your field? Do you know better than anyone else how your products are used? Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge and experience with as many users and customers as possible? If so, a Content Universe offers you the ideal solution.

Digital Climax focuses on SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. This involves optimizing your website and content so that Google ranks your pages higher on the search results page, or SERP. The search engine favors websites that are technically sound, feature relevant content, and have high-quality backlinks. Does your website meet these requirements? If so, your page will rank higher and attract more organic traffic.

Also EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) plays a key role in your website’s ranking. By focusing on a Content Universe, you show your users that you’re a human expert in your field. And you build your trustworthiness—that is, the trust of your visitors.

We’ve noticed that Google doesn’t just display traditional websites on its famous SERP. Other types of media, such as videos and images, also appear among the search results. That’s exactly why it’s important to build a Content Universe, where you distribute the same content across as many channels as possible.

A Content Universe also offers crucial added value for Digital Climax:

• Because you tell your story in your own words, we immediately get a sense of your tone of voice. And we can use your exact words
• We immediately get the full context, since we have plenty of time to go into detail during the recording of your webinar or podcast.
• Our team will quickly gain insight into your company’s story and use this information as the basis for your content plan.
• Our experts have a treasure trove of information at their disposal and no longer need to bother you when they need input. By conducting regular analyses and looking for new potential issues, we can easily continue to add to your treasure trove.

The success of your Content Universe depends entirely on the quality of your content. Always opt for evergreen content—information that will still be relevant tomorrow or even a year from now. The money and energy you invest now will pay off in both the short and long term.

Once you’ve filled your basic information package, it becomes an in-depth source of content that will easily cover an entire quarter. Break down your entire input into segments and distribute these segments across your various channels.

For example, start by focusing on a webinar or podcast. They offer your users an in-depth first look at your business activities and/or products. From these recordings, you can extract audio or video clips to share as shorts, blog posts, or long-form content—on YouTube, Spotify, social media, and your own website.

The Content Universe certainly lives up to its name. The core of this technique lies in the second pillar of SEO: content. But if you really want to rank well on the SERP and appear at the top of the search results, you should also focus on technical aspects and authority.

Relevant texts, audio or video clips, blog posts, or articles form the common thread of your Content Universe. But no matter how compelling your content is, if the technical aspects of your website aren’t up to par, you won’t even be in the running to rank in the top 10 on the SERP. Or if your credibility isn’t strong enough for Google—due to a lack of backlinks—your website will never rank as well as you’d like.

Avoid relying on just one media channel. Take advantage of the diverse range of communication channels to make your voice heard. Shout it from the rooftops—be proud of who you are and what you do. And share that professional knowledge with your users.

1) Keyword Research: The Building Block of Your Content Network

Most entrepreneurs would like to have a presence on various media channels, but they struggle with the content. They don’t know what to discuss, which topics to address, or which issues to tackle.

Therefore, start by conducting a thorough keyword research and identify the topics that resonate with your users. Look for relevant problems, issues, or themes that need a solution or an answer. Then use this information to create content.

Ask yourself the following three questions while conducting your keyword research:

1. What message do you want to convey as a company?
2. What does the visitor want to read?
3. What does Google want to see?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have a clear understanding of what your users are looking for. You’ll also learn which keywords they use and how they conduct their searches. After a thorough analysis, you’ll end up with a list of keywords that add value to your organization.

This list of keywords serves as the basis for your content planning. You’ll create an outline of the various topics and details you’ll cover. Incorporate these keywords into all your media channels and content creation.

2) Plan your route in advance

For each topic, create a sort of outline— an analysis of a specific keyword and its synonyms. Think ahead about what your user wants to know and why they’re performing a search.

Determine the search intent behind their use of a search engine. Are they looking for information, do they want to learn something, or are they searching for a specific product? Then tailor the purpose of your content accordingly.

Next, you’ll decide which questions to answer, which (sub)titles to use, and which CTA (Call to Action) you’ll use to convince your visitor to take action.

3) Want to start a webinar or podcast?

Now that you know what to discuss, you’ll need to determine where and how to share this information. Below, we’ll go over the various media channels available and their specific characteristics. We’ll start with a webinar or podcast. For both channels, you’ll need high-quality recording equipment, which you may need to rent.

Webinar

Promote your webinar in advance via email or on social media. Users sign up and fill out a contact form. When your webinar starts, visitors click on the link provided to join. During a livestream, you discuss a specific topic and share your knowledge and expertise. Viewers can easily post comments or ask questions using a chat feature.

To record a webinar, you’ll need a high-quality camera mounted on a stable surface. Place it on a tripod or on a table. Decide in advance whether you’ll be standing or sitting.

Make sure you have a clear audio recording—either using a separate microphone connected to your video feed or using the audio from your camera itself. Record your webinar in a quiet space, such as our recording studio 😉, and ideally stand in front of a neutral background (possibly with your logo).

Podcast

You’ll be talking—preferably with a partner—about a specific topic. You’ll discuss common questions and provide relevant answers right away. Record your podcast in a room with good acoustics, minimal echo, and as little background noise as possible. Make sure each person has a high-quality microphone to record their audio.

Keep talking throughout the entire recording, without stopping or re-recording certain parts. Afterward, you can always edit any mistakes out of the full recording. Listeners can tune in to your episode wherever and whenever they want.

4) Other media channels

YouTube video

• Upload your video recording as an MP4 to your YouTube channel.
• Your video is at least 33 seconds long.
• Select an aspect ratio of 16:9.
• Upload your video at a minimum resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.
• Make sure your title is no longer than 100 characters, and put your keyword at the beginning.
• Add a description of your video that is no more than 5,000 characters long.

Get inspired by our YouTube video on SEO and long-term thinking.

YouTube Shorts

• Up to 60 seconds long.
• Filmed vertically.
• Upload your clip at a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels.
• Include #shorts in your title or description.
• Useful for briefly discussing something or promoting something.

Instagram post

• The dimensions of your square photo are 1080 x 1080 pixels, or a 1:1 aspect ratio.
• If you choose a landscape image, your photo will be 1080 by 608 pixels.
• A portrait-oriented photo is 1080 x 1350 pixels.
• Post a single photo.
• Or choose a carousel, a collection of photos. Just make sure all your photos are square.
• Add the appropriate hashtags and include your keyword(s) in them.
• Your posts are collected in your feed. Make sure they form a cohesive whole in terms of colors or photos.

Check out our example of an Instagram post.

Instagram Reel

• Choose a 9:16 aspect ratio, or 1080 x 1920 pixels.
• Content disappears again after 24 hours, so it’s only useful for sharing something temporarily.
• Up to 15 seconds long.
• Add a link or call to action to drive followers to your website.
• Perfect for giving a behind-the-scenes look.

Instagram video

• Upload your vertical video in 4:5 aspect ratio, or 1080 x 1350 pixels.
• Your landscape video has dimensions of 1080 x 608, or an aspect ratio of 1.91:1.
• At least 3 seconds, up to 60 seconds.
• Add subtitles (for people who are hard of hearing and users who watch their videos without sound).
• This is a good way to discuss your topic in more detail.

TikTok video

• Upload a video that is 1080 x 1920 pixels, or in a 9:16 aspect ratio.
• At least 3 seconds, at most 10 minutes. But always keep your viewer’s attention. Keep your message as short and snappy as possible.

Facebook Stories

• 9:16 aspect ratio, or 1080 x 1920 pixels.
• Up to 15 seconds long.
• Content disappears again after 24 hours.
• Upload your video recording as an MP4 or MOV file.

Facebook video

• Upload as MP4 or MOV.
• Share a recording that is 1280 x 720 pixels in size.
• Choose a pre-recorded video, or go live (film in portrait mode).
• Up to 240 minutes, but try to keep it as short and engaging as possible. Long videos take longer to load.
• Add relevant hashtags, including your keyword(s).

Facebook post with a photo

• Share relevant information, supplemented with images or product mentions.
• Your image is 1200 x 628 pixels.
• Add hashtags that include your keyword.
• If applicable, tag contributors or people for whom this information is relevant. This will help you expand your reach.

Blog Post

• Choose a short and clear URL.
• Write an SEO article in which you discuss a topic with expertise.
• Make sure you have a compelling title and include your keyword. Consider, for example, “5 tips” or “10 pieces of advice” that will convince the reader to click through.
• Enter the correct metadata
• In the introduction, encourage your reader to keep reading. Make a promise.
• Use compelling titles.
• Add relevant images.

Spotify Playlist

• Upload your clip as an MP3 file with high-quality audio.
• Your file cannot exceed 200 Mb. This is equivalent to approximately 83 minutes at 320 Kbps (kilobits per second) and 200 minutes at 128 Kbps. The higher the number of kilobits per second, the higher the audio quality of your file.

Article on the website

• Most visitors read your posts on their smartphones, so make sure to optimize them for mobile viewing.
• Compress your images so they don’t slow down your page’s loading speed. And add descriptive alt tags.
• Use the correct metadata.
• Write compelling titles that incorporate your keywords.
• Include plenty of internal links to other relevant pages on your website.

Check out the article on YouTube SEO on our website and get inspired.

Post on LinkedIn

• Captivate readers with your first sentence.
• Avoid long blocks of text.
• Add one or more eye-catching visuals to grab your audience’s attention.
• Images must be high quality. They must be at least 552 x 276 pixels in size and no larger than 5 MB. Be sure to add the appropriate alt tags.
• Are you posting a video instead of an image? Ideally, it should be 30 to 60 seconds long and include subtitles.
• Post an editorial article of up to 1,000 words. Use bullet points to provide a clear overview. Conclude your article with a call to action. Tag other LinkedIn users to increase your reach and engagement.
• Publish a newsletter or a series of newsletters.
• Upload PowerPoint presentations, Word files, or informative PDFs. And be sure to mention contributors and give them credit.

Check out an example of a LinkedIn post here.

We’d like to show you how a Content Universe works and why it’s important using a concrete example.

Your company sells high-quality carpets. A comprehensive keyword analysis provides insight into your users’ search queries. “How do I clean my carpet?” is one of the most common questions. Our experts conducted an analysis and formulated the following questions in advance:

• How do I clean my carpet?
• How do I clean my wool rug?
• How do I clean my deep-pile carpet?
• How do I clean my carpet with a steam cleaner?
• How often should I clean my carpet?
• What products should I use to clean my carpet?
• Can I clean my carpet myself?
• Where can I have my carpet cleaned?

From this, we conclude that many users are struggling with the “how” question regarding carpet cleaning. We’ll schedule a recording session lasting about 4 hours. This will result in 3 to 4 45-minute clips for you. We’ll provide a list of questions about carpet cleaning in advance, which you can then supplement with helpful answers and relevant content.

You’ll come by our podcast studio alone or in pairs, and we’ll start recording. You’ll talk naturally—but with the necessary focus—about the predetermined topics. Explain why it’s important to clean your carpet on time, what products you need, where to buy them, what steps you take, and so on.

Not only do we record your story, but we also film this “interview.” After the recording, our experts will have a wealth of video and audio footage, which will serve as the foundation for your content planning and creation.

We edit the video footage and turn it into an interactive and compelling message for each topic. We also turn the audio material into in-depth, engaging podcast episodes.

We then break down each individual segment into smaller pieces of content that we use for shorts, blog posts, YouTube videos, Instagram posts, Spotify episodes, or website pages.

By sharing relevant content and answering the questions many visitors have, you build your expertise. As a carpet retailer, you know better than anyone how to clean them. As a result, visitors not only come to you to purchase a carpet, but after a few months, they’ll turn to you again for your knowledge and experience.

To conduct a thorough and, above all, comprehensive keyword research, use a number of useful SEO tools. Be sure to use them to get a clear picture of the keywords your users are searching for.

This tool provides you with an overview of your current performance on Google. Enter your URL into Google Search Console and analyze, among other things, your website’s ranking position, how often users click through to your pages based on their search queries, and how many backlinks your site has.

Use these statistics to determine which keywords are important for your website. Use them as a common thread throughout your Content Universe. And tailor each media channel accordingly. Read all about how to use this tool in our Google Search Console guide.

In the example below, you can see which search queries are frequently performed, how many clicks they generate, and how many impressions this results in. This gives you concrete insight into which keywords are important for you. Incorporate these into your keyword research and, later on, into your content creation as well.

Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer is the ultimate foundation for your keyword research. Enter a few keywords and their synonyms. For each term, the tool provides an estimate of search volume (global or by country), the difficulty level of that keyword, your position on the SERP, and much more.

If you zoom in on a specific keyword, you’ll also see related or matching terms. These categories let you search for other relevant terms by topic and expand your treasure trove of information. Discover all the other things you can do in our Ahrefs guide.

Below, we’ll use the keywords “SEO,” “SEO agency,” and “SEO copywriter” as examples. Ahrefs provides an estimate of your keyword difficulty (how hard it is to rank highly), the global search volume, and the main topic to which this keyword belongs.

After that, you can look for matching terms (such as “SEO meaning,” “SEO marketing,” “what is SEO,” and “SEO tools”) or related terms (such as “SEA,” “Google SEO,” “SEO website,” “SEO abbreviation,” and “SEO tips”)

Based on this information, create a list in Excel of keywords that are relevant to your organization and your topics. Use this list as a guiding thread throughout your content creation process.

Alternative tools for keyword research include SEMrush or Ubersuggest (read our Ubersuggest guide here).

Before you start your keyword research, we recommend using the AnswerThePublic tool. There, you’ll discover which terms visitors use to perform a search. Adjust your country and selected language to get the right results. When you enter a topic, the tool provides you with an overview of related questions—such as how, what, why, who, when, and so on. All these questions will give you plenty of inspiration to get started on your own.

When we enter “ceramic tile” as an example, we get the following questions to spark inspiration:

From this, we can conclude that users are primarily looking for answers to “how” and “what” questions. Respond to this by, for example, creating a tutorial that shows how to grind or clean a tile. Or write an informative article explaining the specifications of a ceramic tile.

Read all about this tool in our AnswerThePublic guide.

This tool is an absolute must for editing your video footage. With Kapwing, you can add your logo, images, and music—using existing templates if you’d like. Optimize your video with subtitles. Kapwing generates these automatically; all you have to do is review the text and make corrections where necessary.

First, create a Google account and use it to create an account on YouTube. Go to YouTube Studio and create your own channel (under your company’s name). In YouTube Studio, you can upload videos, analyze performance, manage comments, and generate captions. You can also manage your Shorts, live videos, and other video and audio content there.

A handy tool for handling multiple sources, such as audio, video, presentations, and images. For example, use OBS Studio to create a webinar in which you share both your presentation and yourself (a Picture-in-Picture). Connect the program to YouTube and go live in a snap. Or seamlessly sync your audio recording with your video footage.

You want to share your knowledge with your target audience. And you’d prefer to reach as many users as possible at once. But you have no idea how to go about it. Digital Climax is here to help. Together, we’ll take the necessary steps to build your Content Universe. Minimal effort, maximum results.

Discover how Digital Climax can help you with your Content Universe:

• conducting keyword research
• Creating your content plan
• Record half a day of video and audio material each quarter
• Turning your input into webinars and podcasts
• breaking down content and distributing it across various channels
• conduct new analyses on a regular basis