So, I’m one of Neil Walker Digital’s latest recruits. I live in the content department, I’m a cat lady and I’m a converted lover of network science.
Two weeks ago, I didn’t even know what network science was. I was a network science virgin, shall we say. Now, I’m a network science nerd, a lover of all things network science. Everywhere I go, I see network science at play, and Neil Walker Digital is to blame.
I learnt the basics of this interesting academic model during a two-hour-long presentation and, honestly, at the beginning I thought it was a load of nonsense. My brain didn’t want to believe the ‘everything happens for a reason’ saying, which is essentially what network science is, if we’re really breaking it down.
But, slowly, I started to see the light. Network science is why I’m here today, it’s why I work at Neil Walker Digital and it’s why I do what I do. If you aren’t already clued up on it, I highly recommend doing some research – the Wikipedia page on network science is a good place to start, although it’s a bit in-depth for true beginners (like myself). This article on Science News is also pretty interesting.
Network science and SEO
One of the most interesting aspects of network science that I enjoy is the way that it can be linked back to SEO. Every man and his dog understands SEO now, but most self-proclaimed SEO gurus make it sound much harder than it actually is. If you look at it from a network science point of view though, all you have to do is be the best, which is actually really easy.
Page ranks, keywords, H1 tags, anchor text, meta data – it’s all just white noise. And it’s blocking out what Google has been telling at us to do all along – natural link building. And how is that done? Through network science, of course.
Being the best
So you want to be the best, do you? Well, if we take the network science route, that means what you really want to do is become a hub. Becoming a hub probably sounds like it’s an impossible feat, especially if you’re currently a tiny little company, but just hear me out.
In order to become a hub, you need to provide something that attracts users towards you. You need to give people a reason to sit up and take notice of you. It’s half providing amazing services, half making people visit your site and link back to it as a result. And how do you do that?
By writing good content.
An old method
This isn’t a new lightbulb moment. Everyone’s known for years now that good content = good websites. The dreaded Panda update of 2011 told us all that bad content was no longer going to be tolerated by Google, and it’s easy to see why. None of us want to read a spammy block of nonsensical content that’s already been spun ten times already. If we’re looking for information, we want to read something that will make us think ‘Great! That’s exactly what I was looking for!’
(Image courtesy of Race Talk Blog)
Network science and copywriters
Every digital marketing agency I’ve worked for in the past has proclaimed that content is king, but at Neil Walker Digital that really is true. At the end of the day, if you want to be an amazing hub, a resource for all things, you need to get yourself some incredible content.
And what does your content need?
- A theme
None of this writing for the sake of writing business. Get stuck in and think of a genuine theme that actually means something and which will carry you through to your conclusion.
- A point of view
You may have been taught to be objective in your writing, but forget that. Flimsy writing is bad writing, so write about your views on a topic to really own it. You can still show both sides of the story without ruining your writing.
- An interest
No matter what you’re writing about, make it interesting. Not for your reader, but for you. If you’re invested in what you’re writing about, if it really makes you tick, your readers will know and they’ll thank you for it. They’ll see that you’re passionate and it’ll make them keep reading, and then it’ll give them a reason to share your content.
- A call to action
As my colleague Halit wrote in his blog on how to write online content, you always need a call to action. If you’ve just spent a good few hours slaving over a post, what do you want people to do after reading it? You want them to share it! But not everyone remembers to, so give your readers a little nudge at the end to remind them.
With that in mind then, what do you think of network science? Do you believe in it, do you think it’s a load of old poppycock? Let me know!