{"id":174388,"date":"2024-05-01T08:39:07","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=174388"},"modified":"2024-07-05T13:29:43","modified_gmt":"2024-07-05T18:29:43","slug":"why-big-companies-make-bad-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Big Companies Make Bad Content"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">It\u2019s like death and taxes: inevitable. The bigger a company gets, the worse its content marketing becomes.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>HubSpot teaching you how to type the shrug emoji or buy bitcoin stock. Salesforce sharing inspiring business quotes. GoDaddy helping you use Bing AI, or Zendesk sharing catchy sales slogans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Judged by content marketing best practice, these articles are&nbsp;bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They won\u2019t resonate with decision-makers. Nobody will buy a HubSpot license after Googling \u201chow to buy bitcoin stock.\u201d It\u2019s the very definition of vanity traffic: tons of visits with no obvious impact on the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So why does this happen?<\/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<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2109\" height=\"1490\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-174580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot.jpg 2109w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot-602x425.jpg 602w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot-768x543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot-1536x1085.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot-2048x1447.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2109px) 100vw, 2109px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I did a double-take the first time I discovered this article on the HubSpot blog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\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=\"What if bad content is... deliberate?\" data-section=\"bad-content-is-deliberate\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-174388-_s7qrpdajgjl7\"><\/a>What if bad content is\u2026 deliberate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s an obvious (but flawed) answer to this question: big companies are inefficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As companies grow, they become more complicated, and writing good, relevant content becomes harder. I\u2019ve experienced this firsthand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>extra rounds of legal review and stakeholder approval creeping into processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>content watered down to serve an ever-more generic \u201cbrand voice\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>growing misalignment between search and content teams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a lack of content leadership within the company as early employees leave.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1832\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/1-why-big-companies-create-bad-content-1.png\" alt class=\"wp-image-174577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/1-why-big-companies-create-bad-content-1.png 2000w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/1-why-big-companies-create-bad-content-1-464x425.png 464w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/1-why-big-companies-create-bad-content-1-768x703.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/1-why-big-companies-create-bad-content-1-1536x1407.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As companies grow, content workflows can get kinda\u2026 complicated.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, funded companies have to grow, even when they\u2019re already huge. Content has to feed the machine, continually increasing traffic\u2026 even if that traffic never contributes to the bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s an element of truth here, but I\u2019ve come to think that both these arguments are naive, and certainly not the whole&nbsp;story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is wrong to assume that the same people that grew the company suddenly forgot everything they once knew about content, and wrong to assume that companies willfully target useless keywords just to game their <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-okrs\/\">OKRs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, let\u2019s assume that this strategy is deliberate, and not oversight. I think bad content\u2014and the vanity traffic it generates\u2014is actually good for business.<\/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=\"1. More traffic is better than less\" data-section=\"more-traffic-good\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-174388-_4d4ywng7td1b\"><\/a>1. More traffic is better than&nbsp;less<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There are benefits to driving tons of traffic, even if that traffic never directly converts. Or put in meme format:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"886\" height=\"499\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-3.jpeg\" alt class=\"wp-image-174391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-3.jpeg 886w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-3-680x383.jpeg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-3-768x433.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Programmatic SEO is a good example. Why does Dialpad create landing pages for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dialpad.com\/features\/local-phone-numbers\/646-area-code\/\">local phone numbers<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1501\" height=\"502\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-4.png\" alt class=\"wp-image-174392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-4.png 1501w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-4-680x227.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-4-768x257.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1501px) 100vw, 1501px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Why does Wise target <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/programmatic-seo\/\">exchange rate keywords<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1501\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-5.png\" alt class=\"wp-image-174393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-5.png 1501w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-5-680x254.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-5-768x287.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1501px) 100vw, 1501px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Why do we have a list of most <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/top\">popular websites pages<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1453\" height=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-6.png\" alt class=\"wp-image-174394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-6.png 1453w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-6-680x168.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-6-768x190.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1453px) 100vw, 1453px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As this Twitter user points out, these articles will never convert\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The conversion rate for this must be awful though. Like there is no purchase intent behind these searches, and it\u2019s most likely all consumers who aren\u2019t their target market and don\u2019t then want to buy an \u2018AI powered collaboration platform\u2019. These are basically vanity visits\u2026<\/p>\u2014 Aaron Beashel (@aaronbeashel) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/aaronbeashel\/status\/1762652907739218162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 28,&nbsp;2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026but they don\u2019t need&nbsp;to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every published URL and targeted keyword is a new doorway from the backwaters of the internet into your website. It\u2019s a chance to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/high-quality-backlinks\/\">acquire backlinks<\/a> that wouldn\u2019t otherwise exist, and an opportunity to get your brand in front of <em>thousands <\/em>of new, otherwise unfamiliar people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These benefits might not directly translate into revenue, but over time, in aggregate, they can have a huge <em>indirect<\/em> impact on revenue. They&nbsp;can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strengthen domain authority<\/strong> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-improve-seo\/\">search performance<\/a> of every other page on the website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boost brand awareness<\/strong>, and encourage serendipitous interactions that land your brand in front of the right person at the right&nbsp;time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Deny your competitors traffic<\/strong> and dilute their <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/share-of-voice\/\">share of voice<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These small benefits become more worthwhile when multiplied across many hundreds or thousands of pages. If you can minimize the cost of the content, there is relatively little downside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">What about topical authority?<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cBut what about <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/topical-authority\/\">topical authority<\/a>?!\u201d<\/em> I hear you cry. <em>\u201cIf you stray too far from your area of expertise, won\u2019t rankings suffer for&nbsp;it?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I reply simply with this screenshot of Forbes\u2019 \u201chealth\u201d subfolder, generating almost<em> 4 million <\/em>estimated monthly organic pageviews:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1437\" height=\"740\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-7.png\" alt class=\"wp-image-174395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-7.png 1437w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-7-680x350.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-7-768x395.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1437px) 100vw, 1437px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/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=\"2. The bigger you get, the cheaper content becomes\" data-section=\"content-is-cheap\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-174388-_r0leo1d5o9h3\"><\/a>2. The bigger you get, the cheaper content becomes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And big companies can minimize cost. For large, established brands, the marginal cost of content creation is relatively low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many companies scale their output through networks of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/hiring-freelance-writers\/\">freelancer writers<\/a>, avoiding the cost of fully loaded employees. They have established, efficient processes for research, briefing, editorial review, publication and maintenance. The cost of an additional \u201cunit\u201d of content\u2014or ten, or a hundred\u2014is not that great, especially relative to other <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/marketing-channels\/\">marketing channels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also relatively little <em>opportunity<\/em> cost to consider: the fact that energy spent on \u201cvanity\u201d traffic could be better spent elsewhere, on more business-relevant topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In reality, many of the companies engaging in this strategy have already plucked the low-hanging fruit and written almost every product-relevant topic. There are a finite number of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/long-tail-vs-short-tail-keywords\/\">high traffic<\/a>, high relevance topics; blog consistently for a decade and you too will reach these limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On top of that, the HubSpots and Salesforces of the world have very established, very efficient <em>sales<\/em> processes. Content gating, lead capture and scoring, and retargeting allow them to put very small conversion rates to relatively good&nbsp;use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1814\" height=\"795\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-8.png\" alt class=\"wp-image-174396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-8.png 1814w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-8-680x298.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-8-768x337.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/word-image-174388-8-1536x673.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1814px) 100vw, 1814px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Even HubSpot\u2019s article on Bitcoin stock has its own relevant call-to-action\u2014and for HubSpot, building a database of aspiring investors is more valuable than it sounds, because\u2026<\/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=\"3. When you IPO, your audience becomes\u2026 everyone\" data-section=\"ipo-audiences\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-174388-_xxgmhlukatu8\"><\/a>3. When you IPO, your audience becomes\u2026 everyone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The bigger a company grows, the bigger its audience needs to be to continue sustaining that growth rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Companies generally expand their total addressable market (TAM) as they grow, like HubSpot broadening from marketing to sales and customer success, launching new product lines for new\u2014much bigger\u2014audiences. This means the target audience for their content marketing grows alongside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Peep Laja put&nbsp;its:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">When in early stages, you have to focus. <br><br>But as you grow in revenue and want to become an absolute monster of a company\u2026 they all seem to become for \u201ceveryone\u201d. Salesforce, Hubspot, Zendesk, Freshworks, etc etc. <br><br>Any exceptions here? $1B+ B2B SaaS companies that are narrowly\u2026<\/p>\u2014 Pe:p Laja (@peeplaja) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/peeplaja\/status\/1775923886380482929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 4,&nbsp;2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But for the biggest companies, this principle is taken to an extreme. When a company gears up to IPO, its target audience expands to\u2026 pretty much everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was something <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/janessalantz\/\">Janessa Lantz<\/a> (ex-HubSpot and dbt Labs) helped me understand: the target audience for a post-IPO company is not just end users, but institutional investors, market analysts, journalists, even regular Jane investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are people who can influence the company\u2019s worth in ways beyond simply buying a subscription: they can invest or encourage others to invest and dramatically influence the share price. These people are influenced by billboards, OOH advertising and, you guessed it, seemingly \u201cbad\u201d content showing up whenever they Google something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can think of this as a second, additional marketing funnel for post-IPO companies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2-why-big-companies-create-bad-content.png\" alt=\"Illustration: When companies IPO, the traditional marketing funnel is accompanied by a second funnel. Website visitors contribute value through stock appreciation, not just revenue.\" class=\"wp-image-174573\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2-why-big-companies-create-bad-content.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2-why-big-companies-create-bad-content-531x425.png 531w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2-why-big-companies-create-bad-content-768x614.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2-why-big-companies-create-bad-content-1536x1229.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>These visitors might not purchase a software subscription when they see your article in the SERP, but they will notice your brand, and maybe listen more attentively the next time your stock ticker appears on the&nbsp;news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They won\u2019t become power users, but they might download your eBook and add an extra unit to the email subscribers reported in your&nbsp;S1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They might not contribute revenue now, but they will in the future: in the form of stock appreciation, or becoming the target audience for a future product line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vanity traffic <em>does<\/em> create value, but in a form most content marketers are not used to measuring.<\/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=\"4. Your competitors will make you\" data-section=\"competition\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-174388-_d7byanfivxf7\"><\/a>4. Your competitors will make&nbsp;you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If any of these benefits apply, then it makes sense to acquire them for your company\u2014but also to deny them to your competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO is an arms race: there are a finite number of keywords and topics, and leaving a rival to claim hundreds, even <em>thousands<\/em> of SERPs uncontested could very quickly create a headache for your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO can quickly create a moat of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-get-backlinks\/\">backlinks<\/a> and brand awareness that can be virtually impossible to challenge; left unchecked, the gap between your company and your rival can accelerate at an accelerating pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pumping out \u201cbad\u201d content and chasing vanity traffic is a chance to deny your rivals unchallenged share of voice, and make sure your brand always has a seat at the&nbsp;table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-174388-_bf03s0c3wg1n\"><\/a>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These types of articles are miscategorized\u2014instead of thinking of them as <em>bad content<\/em>, it\u2019s better to think of them as cheap digital billboards with surprisingly great attribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Big companies chasing \u201cvanity traffic\u201d isn\u2019t an accident or oversight\u2014there are good reasons to invest energy into content that will never convert. There is benefit, just not in the format most content marketers are used&nbsp;to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not an argument to suggest that every company should invest in hyper-broad, <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/advanced-keyword-research\/\">high-traffic keywords<\/a>. But if you\u2019ve been blogging for a decade, or you\u2019re gearing up for an IPO, then \u201cbad content\u201d and the vanity traffic it creates might not be so&nbsp;bad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HubSpot teaching you how to type the shrug emoji or buy bitcoin stock. Salesforce sharing inspiring business quotes. GoDaddy helping you use Bing AI, or Zendesk sharing catchy sales slogans. Judged by content marketing best practice, these articles are&nbsp;bad. They<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":194,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[462],"coauthors":[457],"class_list":["post-174388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-content-marketing","tag-blog","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Big Companies Make Bad Content<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The surprising reason why &quot;vanity traffic&quot; is valuable for big companies.\" \/>\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\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Big Companies Make Bad Content\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The surprising reason why &quot;vanity traffic&quot; is valuable for big companies.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-01T13:39:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-05T18:29:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ryan Law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thinking_slow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ryan Law\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e63cf0d276886d0391667a066edafeda\"},\"headline\":\"Why Big Companies Make Bad Content\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-01T13:39:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-05T18:29:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1457,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content-by-ryan-law-content-marketing.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"blog\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Content Marketing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why Big Companies Make Bad Content\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-01T13:39:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-05T18:29:43+00:00\",\"description\":\"The surprising reason why \\\"vanity traffic\\\" is valuable for big companies.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/why-big-companies-make-bad-content\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/why-big-companies-create-bad-content-hubspot.jpg\",\"width\":2109,\"height\":1490},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\",\"description\":\"Link Building Strategies &amp; 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