Hey Reader, I get this a LOT: “Nick, why am I not ranking? My content is great :(” Then I take a look at their blog and see 100s of AI slop posts. Sorry bud, that’s not quality content. In this week’s email, I’ll cover how to create ACTUAL quality content (yes, with AI). Yes, you CAN use AIBefore we talk content tips, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Yes, you can (and should) use AI in your content process, otherwise you’re going to lose to competitors who do. But AI should be a writing assistant, it’s not a replacement for a good human writer who can tell apart good content and AI slop. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk content. The 5 Elements of Content That Actually Ranks in 2025After analyzing thousands of pages that succeed in the brutal 2025 algorithm, here’s what separates winning content from the endless sea of forgettable fluff: 1. Experience SignalsGoogle’s E-E-A-T guidelines now heavily prioritize firsthand experience. What this looks like in practice:
2. Pattern InterruptsWhen every result on page 1 follows the same format, Google is desperate to show something different. Analyze the top 10 results for patterns:
Then deliberately break those patterns:
3. Extreme SpecificityIn 2025, specific content consistently outranks comprehensive content. Compare these statements: ❌ “Email segmentation can improve your open rates.” ✅ “When we segmented our e-commerce list by purchase history and abandoned cart status, open rates increased from 18.3% to 26.7% within 14 days.” The specific version demonstrates real experience, provides an actual data point, and gives readers actionable insight. How to implement extreme specificity:
4. Content FreshnessGoogle increasingly favors fresh content, especially in rapidly changing fields. But simply updating the publish date is not enough. True freshness signals include:
Implementing This Approach For Your ContentHere’s a practical checklist for your next piece of content:
The Bottom LineThe bar for “ranking content” has never been higher, but the formula is clear: Experience + Specificity + Uniqueness + Freshness + Hidden Intent = Content That Actually Ranks Generic “quality content” is dead. In 2025, only distinctive content with clear experience signals stands a chance in competitive niches. Take a hard look at your recent content. Does it truly demonstrate your experience, or could it have been written by anyone? Hit reply and let me know what you think. - Nick |
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