{"id":150777,"date":"2023-01-12T12:11:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T17:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=150777"},"modified":"2023-01-12T23:54:01","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T04:54:01","slug":"zapier-content-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/zapier-content-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"How Zapier Built a Content Marketing Machine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">How do you help people discover software they need but don\u2019t yet know exists?<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>That was the challenge I faced when I became the second member of Zapier\u2019s editorial team in&nbsp;2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zapier\u2019s team had built a tool to automate your tedious business tasks. Anything you could do by copying and pasting\u2014tweeting new blog posts, emailing new customers, adding orders to a spreadsheet, alerting your team of outages\u2014Zapier could do faster, better, and while you slept. Therein lay a content strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people didn\u2019t know they needed Zapier three years after it was first released, but they did know they needed a way to speed up their work and solve software issues. We could tell them how to build better software workflows\u2014and recommend Zapier along the&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That strategy helped us build a library of content that today brings in over 2 million readers to Zapier each month. Here\u2019s how we built&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"A software directory focused on the niches\" data-section=\"software-directory\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A software directory focused on the niches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>People weren\u2019t searching for Zapier, not in 2014 when the product was new to the market. But they were searching for Zapier\u2019s complements, the tools that worked with Zapier that they were already using. That\u2019s why Zapier created its <a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/apps\">App Directory<\/a>, originally called the Zapbook, as a directory of every app that integrated with Zapier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every new app that integrated with Zapier got a landing page listing what it automated. Gmail\u2019s page, for example, showed you could save attachments to Google Drive, send an email when your form got filled out, or create an Asana task via&nbsp;email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1347\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-zapier-original-app-directory.png\" alt=\"Part of Zapier\u2019s original Gmail Zapbook page showing how to automate Gmail\" class=\"wp-image-150785\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-zapier-original-app-directory.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-zapier-original-app-directory-631x425.png 631w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-zapier-original-app-directory-768x518.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-zapier-original-app-directory-1536x1035.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Zapier\u2019s App Directory also listed permutations for every integration: Gmail + Salesforce, Gmail + Slack, Gmail + Google Sheets, and on and on. That\u2019s where the real magic happened. People would search for two app names (hoping to get them to work together) and then stumble upon Zapier along the&nbsp;way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, there are 4,403 individual integration pages, plus an incredible 38,612 pair pages that together bring in over 299,000 monthly organic search visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2-zapier-app-directory-traffic-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Zapier's App Directory includes over 43,000 pages, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer data\" class=\"wp-image-150787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2-zapier-app-directory-traffic-ahrefs.png 1500w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2-zapier-app-directory-traffic-ahrefs-680x237.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2-zapier-app-directory-traffic-ahrefs-768x267.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It was difficult to rank for the more popular software, but there was always a very good chance that Zapier could rank for a lesser-known app pair\u2014say, ShipStation and PayPal\u2014when there was little, if any, content online about using those two tools together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"929\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/3-example-zapier-app-directory-page.png\" alt=\"Zapier\u2019s ShipStation and PayPal page showing how the two tools can work together\" class=\"wp-image-150788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/3-example-zapier-app-directory-page.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/3-example-zapier-app-directory-page-680x316.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/3-example-zapier-app-directory-page-768x357.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/3-example-zapier-app-directory-page-1536x714.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The challenge was making the App Directory pages unique. Zapier started the directory with a couple dozen preset sentences; when a new two-app page was created, it\u2019d generate a phrase like \u201cConnect App X and Y to automate your work and be more productive.\u201d The danger was in having so many pages with similar, thin content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So one of my first projects was writing software reviews for the App Directory. I\u2019d test an app and write a 500-word walkthrough of what it was like to use that tool, add a few screenshots, and more to flesh out each app\u2019s&nbsp;page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1233\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/4-slack-original-zapbook-page.jpg\" alt=\"Software walkthroughs on Zapier\u2019s App Directory helped keep the directory pages from being too sparse in the early days\" class=\"wp-image-150790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/4-slack-original-zapbook-page.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/4-slack-original-zapbook-page-680x419.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/4-slack-original-zapbook-page-768x474.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/4-slack-original-zapbook-page-1536x947.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another similar content initiative revolved around automation templates. Zapier knew which apps people connected the most, and we knew from users how those automations were used. We\u2019d turn those into Zapier workflows that anyone could enable in a few clicks\u2014and I\u2019d write a roughly 100-word description to help those workflows rank in search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1330\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/5-original-zap-template-trello-gmail.png\" alt=\"Original Zap template from 2014\" class=\"wp-image-150792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/5-original-zap-template-trello-gmail.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/5-original-zap-template-trello-gmail-639x425.png 639w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/5-original-zap-template-trello-gmail-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/5-original-zap-template-trello-gmail-1536x1022.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And it worked. First with Zapier\u2019s team building templates, then with partners building templates for their users and, more recently, with Zap templates users can build and share on their&nbsp;own.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the top search results today for \u201cemail daily,\u201d for example, is for a Zap that will let you set up an automatic daily email\u2014a simple template that brings in ~2,400 organic visitors per month for search terms like \u201ceveryday email\u201d and \u201csend automatic email.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1508\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/6-zap-template-traffic-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"An individual Zapier template to send daily emails receives over 2,400 monthly organic visits, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer data\" class=\"wp-image-150794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/6-zap-template-traffic-ahrefs.png 1508w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/6-zap-template-traffic-ahrefs-680x328.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/6-zap-template-traffic-ahrefs-768x371.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1508px) 100vw, 1508px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Between those workflows and cross-linked content on the blog, today Zapier doesn\u2019t rely on app walkthroughs to flesh out its App Directory pages. But the strategy helped boost the directory in its earliest days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"A blog written for multiple audiences\" data-section=\"blog\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A blog written for multiple audiences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Write great stuff, and people will come. That was our basic strategy on Zapier\u2019s blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was something our managing editor, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/melaniepinola\/\">Melanie Pinola<\/a>, brought from Lifehacker. \u201cTheir answer for what success looks like is \u2018creating content that\u2019s helpful,\u2019\u201d she told&nbsp;us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My writing was focused on software tutorials and roundups. Zapier supported, at that time, hundreds of apps. I couldn\u2019t write about everything, so it made sense to prioritize by popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019d start at the high level, checking Zapier\u2019s software categories on Ahrefs to see which were most popular. To-do list apps and CRM software got 46,000 and 36,000 searches a month. I\u2019d figured it was better to cover those first, then focus on smaller categories like HR or invoicing software later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/7-software-categories-ahrefs-volume.png\" alt=\"Estimated monthly search volumes for a few of Zapier\u2019s software categories, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-150796\" width=\"386\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/7-software-categories-ahrefs-volume.png 772w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/7-software-categories-ahrefs-volume-463x425.png 463w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/7-software-categories-ahrefs-volume-768x704.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Then I\u2019d drill down from there to find what people were searching for around these categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, I\u2019d click the term \u201ccrm software\u201d in Ahrefs and find that the top question was \u201cwhat is CRM software\u201d and that \u201cCRM meaning\u201d was a related popular term. So I\u2019d make a note to write a guide for beginner CRM users. I\u2019d also see the top CRMs people were searching for, such as HubSpot, when I was first writing the roundup (and Keap if you check for top CRM keywords today).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1382\" height=\"618\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/8-crm-keywords-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs suggested keyword ideas for &quot;crm&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-150798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/8-crm-keywords-ahrefs.png 1382w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/8-crm-keywords-ahrefs-680x304.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/8-crm-keywords-ahrefs-768x343.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1382px) 100vw, 1382px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The research would also uncover topics to cover in the future. The most popular questions were about what a CRM is, so that\u2019d be the next article I\u2019d write as a companion to the CRM roundup. So \u201cbest CRM for small business\u201d was another popular, easier-to-rank term\u2014and Zapier later followed up on the original CRM roundup with a more focused roundup of those specifically for small businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"814\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/9-crm-related-terms-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Other topic ideas via the Related terms report in Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-150799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/9-crm-related-terms-ahrefs.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/9-crm-related-terms-ahrefs-680x277.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/9-crm-related-terms-ahrefs-768x313.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/9-crm-related-terms-ahrefs-1536x625.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>With keyword research out of the way, I\u2019d switch to researching software to <a href=\"https:\/\/reproof.app\/blog\/the-roundup-guide\">build an in-depth roundup article<\/a> focused on the best CRM software\u2014the keyword that most people were searching for when looking for a new&nbsp;CRM.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019d test every CRM that Zapier supported, along with dozens of others. I\u2019d take screenshots and write an App Directory roundup of each CRM tool, then pull the findings into a roundup article that showed how each app was differentiated from its&nbsp;peers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It took days of research, but the final pieces were incredibly in-depth (my <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20141006203259\/https:\/\/zapier.com\/blog\/best-crm-app\/\">original CRM roundup<\/a> covered 25 tools, and my <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180706162919\/https:\/\/zapier.com\/learn\/project-management\/best-project-management-software\/\">Zapier project management app roundup<\/a> was over 8,000 words and covered 50&nbsp;tools).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1305\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10-project-management-roundup-original.png\" alt=\"Four months of testing 75 apps led to this in-depth roundup\u2014and dozens of other project management\u2013related posts\" class=\"wp-image-150801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10-project-management-roundup-original.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10-project-management-roundup-original-651x425.png 651w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10-project-management-roundup-original-768x501.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/10-project-management-roundup-original-1536x1003.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We wrote hundreds of software roundup articles on Zapier\u2014with 171 \u201cbest of\u201d posts live on Zapier\u2019s blog today. Together, they bring in an estimated 1.1 million organic visits each month, years after many of them were originally researched and published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/11-roundup-traffic-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Zapier\u2019s top software roundups bring in tens of thousands of organic visits each day\" class=\"wp-image-150803\" width=\"521\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/11-roundup-traffic-ahrefs.png 1042w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/11-roundup-traffic-ahrefs-474x425.png 474w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/11-roundup-traffic-ahrefs-768x688.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe I didn\u2019t have to write so much. <a href=\"https:\/\/reproof.app\/blog\/longform-not-required-for-seo\">Shorter pieces can rank well<\/a> too. And Zapier\u2019s more recently updated takes on those pieces pick eight or 10 best options for a more Wirecutter-style selected take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the ultra-long-form pieces had their advantages. The longer content included more keywords\u2014niche keywords, again, that we were more likely to rank for. They also let us surprise and delight more teams at other companies. I\u2019d email each app I featured, letting them know about the article. Slowly but surely, as more partners linked to our roundups, Zapier gained backlinks and climbed Google\u2019s search rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research took forever, but it always inspired follow-up posts. Once I\u2019d finished the roundup, I switched gears and wrote the \u201cWhat is a CRM?\u201d article. That today still brings in hundreds of monthly organic visitors, along with the over 13,000 monthly organic visitors from the roundup. Over time, using this strategy, we ended with an incredibly wide range of roundups and tutorials that have dominated Zapier\u2019s search traffic for&nbsp;years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> One caveat: I never wrote roundups about automation tools. My rules of <a href=\"https:\/\/reproof.app\/blog\/what-not-to-write\">what not to write<\/a> included not making a roundup or comparison table that had my employer\u2019s product. It\u2019d be impossible to portray Zapier\u2019s content as truly independent if Zapier itself was featured on the list. But I could be unbiased\u2014as much as anyone could be\u2014about our partners and the tools in their categories. And that let Zapier build an audience of readers who trusted our writing.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Discovery, development, and maintaining an audience\" data-section=\"discovery\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Discovery, development, and maintaining an audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Roundups weren\u2019t for everyone. To borrow terms from the project development lifecycle, they were written for readers in the discovery phase who were searching for a new&nbsp;tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then they\u2019d need to do stuff in the app. That\u2019s where Zapier\u2019s tutorials (and the App Directory\u2019s premade Zapier workflows) came in. Those brought in readers during their development phase\u2014when they were developing a workflow and were most likely to start using Zapier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1206\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/12-zapier-blog-today.png\" alt=\"Zapier\u2019s blog today features a mix of tutorials, roundups, and productivity guides\" class=\"wp-image-150805\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/12-zapier-blog-today.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/12-zapier-blog-today-680x410.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/12-zapier-blog-today-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/12-zapier-blog-today-1536x927.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Sheets-focused tutorials worked especially well here. I wrote a tutorial on how to use the LOOKUP function in Google Sheets\u2014plus how to automatically look up data in spreadsheets and more with Zapier. A companion tutorial showed how to split text\u2014say, split a first and a last name into separate columns\u2014in spreadsheets, followed by how to automate that in forms and more with Zapier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"917\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/13-spreadsheet-tutorials-zapier-blog.jpg\" alt=\"Two spreadsheet-focused tutorials on Zapier's blog; one on splitting text and another on finding records\" class=\"wp-image-150807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/13-spreadsheet-tutorials-zapier-blog.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/13-spreadsheet-tutorials-zapier-blog-680x312.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/13-spreadsheet-tutorials-zapier-blog-768x352.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/13-spreadsheet-tutorials-zapier-blog-1536x705.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>These tutorials bring in a couple thousand search visits per month\u2014fewer visitors than roundups, but these are visitors more likely to need and use Zapier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"988\" height=\"202\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-traffic-tutorials-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"The spreadsheet tutorials bring in a couple thousand organic visitors each month together\" class=\"wp-image-150809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-traffic-tutorials-ahrefs.png 988w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-traffic-tutorials-ahrefs-680x139.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/14-traffic-tutorials-ahrefs-768x157.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 988px) 100vw, 988px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But you only need so many app roundups and tutorials. The next time we wrote about to-do list apps, you wouldn\u2019t be interested; the app you picked was humming along. You might be interested in learning how other teams manage projects, how remote work works, or about hitting inbox&nbsp;zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why Zapier also wrote productivity articles: to maintain our relationship with readers by sending them something interesting each week. Those were the pieces easiest to syndicate\u2014to get others to republish as guest posts that built backlinks and brought in new sources of readers and a bit more brand equity. They were less of my focus in Zapier\u2019s earlier years but more of a core part of Zapier\u2019s brand building and audience retention work&nbsp;today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Roundups brought in far more pageviews. Tutorials brought in far more customers per pageview. Productivity posts brought back more repeat readers. Together, they built a search-powered growth engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Ebooks to republish content and rank in search beyond Google\" data-section=\"ebooks\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ebooks to republish content and rank in search beyond Google<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>What is published can always be published again&nbsp;too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That was the third pillar of Zapier\u2019s content: our Learning Center and its ebooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1273\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/15-zapier-ebooks.jpg\" alt=\"Zapier\u2019s original learning center with software-focused ebooks (still in the Kindle store today)\" class=\"wp-image-150811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/15-zapier-ebooks.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/15-zapier-ebooks-667x425.jpg 667w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/15-zapier-ebooks-260x166.jpg 260w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/15-zapier-ebooks-768x489.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/15-zapier-ebooks-1536x978.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once I\u2019d written everything core about a software category like CRMs or a popular tool like Google Sheets, I\u2019d pull those posts together, <a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/blog\/how-to-publish-ebook\/\">build them into an ebook with Leanpub, then publish on the Kindle and iBooks stores<\/a>. The new ebook landing page drove email signups from book downloads and earned a higher time on site as people read one post after another instead of browsing just a single roundup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Best of all, Zapier got a new audience from the ebook stores as a bit of off-Google SEO. People searched for Google Sheets in the Amazon store, downloaded Zapier\u2019s book, then clicked through as they read the book. It wasn\u2019t as easy to measure or value as Google search clicks, but it was search-driven traffic all the&nbsp;same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Experiment. See what sticks\" data-section=\"experiment\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Experiment. See what sticks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Search data was a core part of prioritizing which of my ideas were best to write first. But <a href=\"https:\/\/reproof.app\/blog\/articles-and-the-1-percent-effect\">experimentation also played a large part in my writing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One day, for instance, I was trying to connect to the Wi-Fi at a mechanic while getting my car\u2019s battery changed. It hit me that I should write a quick tutorial on how to get the Wi-Fi password pop-up to open when it wouldn\u2019t at airports, coffee shops, and the like. A few hundred words later, the hastily written post was&nbsp;live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1241\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/16-wifi-login-post.jpg\" alt=\"One of the easiest articles I ever wrote for Zapier was also the most-read piece for months\" class=\"wp-image-150813\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/16-wifi-login-post.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/16-wifi-login-post-680x422.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/16-wifi-login-post-768x477.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/16-wifi-login-post-1536x954.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And it blew up, getting over 100,000 visits a month at its peak\u2014more traffic than most of our well-researched, search-focused content did. It\u2019s still, today, bringing in thousands of readers every month, ranking organically in the top three for terms like \u201cforce wifi login page\u201d and \u201chilton wifi login,\u201d of all things.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1596\" height=\"542\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/17-wifi-traffic-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Zapier\u2019s Wi-Fi login article has brought in consistent traffic\u2014and organically ranks in the top three results for over 200 keywords\" class=\"wp-image-150815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/17-wifi-traffic-ahrefs.png 1596w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/17-wifi-traffic-ahrefs-680x231.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/17-wifi-traffic-ahrefs-768x261.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/17-wifi-traffic-ahrefs-1536x522.png 1536w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/17-wifi-traffic-ahrefs-650x220.png 650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1596px) 100vw, 1596px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out, experimenting and scratching your own itches can work out every so often&nbsp;too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Search data is historical data, records of what people <em>searched<\/em> at some time in the&nbsp;past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you hit a problem today and are on the bleeding edge, that problem may be something few people face today but one that more and more people will start facing later. If you write about some new thing, it\u2019s not going to show promise in Ahrefs data&nbsp;today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just be patient. When that thing you wrote about suddenly is in the news or becomes an emerging trend, you\u2019ll be ahead of the game before it starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So do your research. Publish stuff where you have a chance to rank well on search. Write long-form, especially at first, if it gives you a chance to build more keywords and connections into a&nbsp;piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But also, never stop experimenting. If you really want to write something, go for it even if the stats aren\u2019t there yet. It can\u2019t hurt, and it just may be your breakout piece.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>That was the challenge I faced when I became the second member of Zapier\u2019s editorial team in&nbsp;2014. Zapier\u2019s team had built a tool to automate your tedious business tasks. Anything you could do by copying and pasting\u2014tweeting new blog posts,<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":150818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"coauthors":[453],"class_list":["post-150777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content-marketing","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Zapier Built a Content Marketing Machine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how Zapier built a library of content that today brings in over 2 million readers each month.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/zapier-content-marketing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Zapier Built a Content Marketing Machine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"2M monthly readers. 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