B2B marketers often search for alternative ways to get more organic traffic and breakthrough conversions for business websites. A power page can help.
Power pages boost a website's reputation and authority in Google and target visitors' eyes, and they also enable efficient link-building. All that results in brand visibility, trust, and—what we all expect from marketing endeavors—leads and sales.
What a Power Page Is
Let's say you've been managing a SaaS business since 2017, selling a plagiarism-check tool to educational organizations. In 2018, you published the ultimate guide on detecting duplications in students' works, and you updated it regularly with new facts and statistics.
By 2022, the article has gotten thousands of clicks from organic search and social media, and hundreds of people have bookmarked it. It continuously generates natural backlinks and shares, demonstrating great behavioral metrics.
That article is your power page.
The term was coined by Brian Dean, an SEO expert and author at Backlinko. Today, marketers have a few definitions for it:
- A piece of content strategically designed to rank on the top of Google's search engine results page (SERP). Example: Backlinko's SEO This Year.
- A content asset intended to go viral and get tons of backlinks, social media shares, and traffic from search. Example: SmartBlogger's 801+ Power Words.
- 10x content, AKA a published work designed to be at least 10 times better than any other article on the related topic from the top of Google's SERP (and outperform them eventually, of course). Example: Bid4Papers' Ultimate Guide on Persuasive Writing.
Why You Should Consider a Power Page for Your B2B Website
Power pages aren't for B2C websites only. B2B marketers, too, can benefit from them—because a power page is the most efficient piece of content a business can publish online.
The whys of including power page creation in your B2B strategy in 2022:
- Power pages rank higher in search engines and, consequently, get more traffic.
- Power pages are, as a rule, long-form content, and therefore rank for a higher number of keywords.
- They generate more backlinks and shares thanks to their advanced nature that satisfies information-seeking search intent.
- Their super high-quality content increases dwell time, influencing a website's behavior metrics and overall performance.
- Power pages help authors build authority in their niche, later converting it into business deals and revenue.
The Anatomy of a Power Page
To create the top content on the Internet, you need to understand what makes a particular publication the best one from the viewpoint of readers and search engine crawlers. In other words, we need to know the parts that make up a power page.
1. Informative Value
Power pages are informative, answering all the questions a user may have on the topic. A power page contains so much info that almost anyone will feel like an expert after reading it.
2. Attention to Detail
This is a critical feature of power pages. There can be a lot of information in your article, but that is not always enough: Superficial material will never become a power page, even if the post is 10,000 words long.
3. Expertise
Sure, there are some topics and questions that even nonexperts can answer, and their knowledge is enough to write an informative and helpful long read.
However, long reads and power pages aren't synonymous.
The informative value of a power page isn't enough to surprise readers and make them say, "Wow!"
It takes unique expertise to create a power page. It is the knowledge that is impossible or difficult for most people to acquire.
The expertise of a power page author should help a person with no training do something challenging after reading the page.
4. Authoritative Domain
A content piece has more chances to become a power page if it gets published on an authoritative website. People doubt whether they can trust the data they get from a resource nobody knows about.
Young sites and novice experts have a more challenging time getting attention than well-known publications and established brands. But that doesn't mean you can't give it a try. By publishing high-quality content on your B2B website regularly, it will quickly get noticed.
The author's credibility also plays a role. Ensure you publish content from top experts and thought leaders in your niche.
5. Structure
Structure is about design, layout, typography, and other factors that influence user experience and content readability.
All other things being equal, a well-designed publication that is pleasant and easy to read has a better chance of becoming a power page.
6. Emotional Response
As previously mentioned, power pages wow readers. They evoke an emotional response, encouraging users to share a publication, bookmark it, follow its author on social media, comment on it, etc.
"It's got to create an emotional response. I want to feel awe. I want to feel surprised. I want to feel joy, anticipation, or admiration for that piece of content in order for it to be considered 10x," writes Rand Fishkin
The problem is that an emotional response is hard to predict. You don't know for sure what will surprise most users—any of the seven items listed here could do that.
7. Promotion
Efficient content promotion is a must for a piece of content to turn into a power page. The more people that see it, the more social signals it gets.
All marketing instruments work here: PPC or target ads, syndication, guest posts, sharing at related B2B groups on social media, etc.
How to Create a Power Page for Your B2B Website
You can create a a power page by taking the following steps:
- Brainstorm. Decide whether to write new text or update an old one at your B2B website; do keyword and competitors research; choose a topic; think of a structure; create an outline.
- Write. Craft a draft, proofread and edit it, optimize it for SEO.
- Design. Include custom graphics, think of layout and typography, and add interactive content, if applicable.
- Publish and promote.
- Do outcome analysis.
As a B2B marketer or business owner, you won't be doing all of that alone. A team made up of a professional content writer, an editor who knows the subject inside out, a graphic designer, a developer who will make it look appealing, and a link-builder/outreach manager who can help with promotion is your pathway to power page success.
The ROI of your power page at a B2B website is not about direct monetary benefit but the value and advantages it brings in the long-term: ever-growing organic traffic, an expanded email subscribers list, and your business's position as a thought leader in your field.
More Resources on B2B Websites
B2B Websites: What Visitors Value vs. What Marketers Value
Does Your Website Really Need That? Five Elements to Rethink
16 Ways B2B Websites Can Optimize Conversion Rates [Infographic]