MENUMENU
  • Services
    • Services
      • Search Engine Optimization
      • Local SEO
      • Generative Engine Optimization
      • Digital PR
      • Content Marketing
      • Email Marketing Services
      • Lifecycle Marketing
      • Paid Media Advertising
      • Social Media Marketing
      • Creative Design Services
      • Conversion Rate Optimization
      • Website Design & Development
      • Amazon Marketing Services
      • Franchise Marketing
      • Franchise Development
      • National to Local Marketing
      • Reporting and Data Analytics
      • Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Who We Serve
    • Who We Serve
      • Franchise Marketing
      • B2B Marketing
      • Lead Generation
      • Ecommerce
      • We Build Custom Strategies
      • View Sample Industries
  • About Us
    • About Ignite Visibility
      • Our Story
      • Our Values
      • Our Team
      • Clients
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Our Blog
      • Marketing Resources
      • Franchise Marketing Resources
      • Careers
      • Hiring Notice
  • Case Studies
  • Awards
  • Contact
  • 619.752.1955
Home / News / How Content Marketing Has Changed in the Last 3 Years

How Content Marketing Has Changed in the Last 3 Years

March 7, 2018 By John Lincoln

You can’t rely on the same kind of content marketing strategy that you used in 2015. That’s the basic premise of a Buzzsumo study about the latest in content trends.

New Study Shows How Content Marketing Has Evolved Over the Last 3 Years

In case you’re unfamiliar with Buzzsumo, it’s a web service that digital marketers often use to find influencers. The service reveals the most popular articles in terms of social shares for a particular keyword.

It’s safe to say that Buzzsumo knows a thing or two about content marketing. That’s why the study is especially welcome.

In this article, we’ll go over the key findings of the research and offer some pointers about how you should adapt your content marketing accordingly.

Engagement Ain’t What It Used to Be

The study found that the number of WordPress blog posts has grown significantly in the last 10 years. However, page views of those blog posts actually decreased during the same period.

Engagement Ain’t What It Used to Be

So publishers are posting more content, but consumers are reading less content.

Engagement Ain’t What It Used to Be

According to Buzzsumo, the number of page views peaked in March 2017. Since then, it has been on a steady decline.

It’s Hard to Stand Out

Buzzsumo also found that content saturation is making it difficult for one publisher to stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Although some topics are certainly more popular than others, those hot topics also generate a lot of content.

As an example, the study found that 10,000 Bitcoin articles were published per week in January of 2017. By the end of the year, that number had jumped to 40,000 articles per week.

It’s Hard to Stand Out

As you can imagine, it’s tough for publishers these days to get in a word about Bitcoin.

Buzzsumo also found that, as the volume of content rises, the average number of shares per article declines. The study calls that “content shock.”

What’s the solution? Be better than everybody else. Produce 10x content that Google will recognize as an authority on the subject you’re writing about.

Also, keep in mind that as consumers are faced with information overload, they’ll more likely turn to more specific queries on the search engines. That means you should optimize your content for long tail keywords that will likely give you a high rank.

Social Referral Traffic Has Declined

Remember Upworthy? That’s the progressive website that set the pattern for digital marketers everywhere by posting viral content with clickbait headlines a few years back.

Now, you almost never hear about Upworthy anymore.

Why? In part, because Facebook changed its algorithm so that the feed doesn’t display clickbait headlines as much as it used to.

That’s reflected in the Buzzsumo study. Although there was a rise in Facebook referral traffic from 2014 to 2017, there was also a noticeable decline in 2017.

Social Referral Traffic Has Declined

Expect that downward trend to continue.

Now, there are more referrals from Google than there are from Facebook. That’s also reflected in a study by Shareaholic.

You need to optimize your content so that it gets discovered in the search engines and focus less on viral posts that you think will earn lots of shares on social media.

It’s worth noting that some social sites are still generating social shares. In fact, Pinterest grew as a source of referral traffic towards the end of 2017.

If your marketing strategy relies heavily on imagery, consider using Pinterest as a way to promote your products or services. Apparently, its algorithm hasn’t changed. Yet.

Content Social Sharing Is Down

Overall, content social sharing is down. People just aren’t sharing as much as they used to.

As an example, the most popular BuzzFeed listicle before 2017 was shared 2.6 million times on Facebook. During the second half of 2017, the site’s most popular listicle was shared just 530,000 times.

In other words, BuzzFeed saw about a 75% drop in social shares last year. That’s going to hurt any brand.

It was even worse for viral site Playbuzz. The most popular article prior to 2017 saw 8.6 million Facebook shares. In the second half of last year, its most popular article was shared just 195,000 times.

That’s an even worse drop than what BuzzFeed saw.

Buzzsumo also found that 90% of the content analyzed had less than 62 social shares. Just 1% had more than 2,400 shares, and 5% had more than 300 shares.

Content Social Sharing Is Down

Simply put: you can’t go viral on 62 shares. That’s why you need to focus on generating content that ranks in the search engines.

There’s an alternative solution to that. You could line the pockets of Mark Zuckerberg by promoting your content as an ad on the Facebook platform. You’ll have to carve out some money from your marketing budget to make that happen.

Of course, that’s what Facebook wants you to do. Hence, the algorithm change.

But if you think you’ve got some great content that will appeal to people in your target market, it might be worth your while to bite the bullet and promote it on Facebook for a few pennies per click.

That strategy will likely earn your content more than 62 shares if 1) it’s quality content and 2) you’re targeting the right people.

There’s a Rise in Private Sharing

Although social sharing has declined, private sharing is on the rise. More and more people are sharing via email and private messenger groups like Slack.

That assessment is corroborated by a Business Insider article showing that messaging apps are now bigger than social networks.

There’s a Rise in Private Sharing

The point is further backed up by research from GetSocial, a company that monitors dark shares for its clients. According to that study, private sharing in 2017 was twice as large as public sharing.

Are WhatsApp and Viber the new Facebook and Twitter? Maybe.

Wrapping Up Content Trends

You’ll stay busy paying attention to the never-ending changes in digital marketing. Content marketing is no exception.

The strategies that you used to run with back in 2016 probably won’t work anymore. Forget about going after social shares with clickbait headlines. Now, you need to focus on quality, long-form content that ranks well with the search engines.

Related Posts

  • Content Marketing or SEO: Which is More Important?

    Which is More Important? This question was asked today on reddit, and I wanted to…

  • Content Marketing Services, Compelling Insight the Best Pros Know

    Many business owners really don't understand content marketing. I feel your pain in that I…

  • How to Craft Magnetic Content

    Internet marketing these days is all about writing that quality content that not only makes…

About John Lincoln

John Lincoln (MBA) is the CEO of Ignite Visibility, a top performance marketing agency backed by Mountaingate Capital. A digital marketing strategist and keynote speaker, Lincoln has managed over 1,000 marketing programs for brands like DoorDash, HBO, Tony Robbins, and Experian. Under his leadership, Ignite Visibility has been named a leading digital marketing agency in the U.S. and made the Inc. 5,000 list six times. Lincoln also spearheaded the development of CertaintyTech, a cutting-edge media mix modelling and forecasting platform. An award-winning marketer, Lincoln has authored three books, including Advolution (2022), and produced films such as SEO: The Movie. Recognized as a Top Business Leader, he has been featured in Forbes and The New York Times and spoken at global events like Web Summit and SMX. Lincoln's mission is to empower businesses through innovative digital strategies while reinvesting in clients, employees, and the community.

About Ignite

Ignite Visibility is a premier full-service digital marketing agency. We were founded in San Diego, CA but are now a 100% remote-first company with Igniters and clients around the globe.

Ignite Visibility is one of the highest awarded digital marketing agencies in the industry, works with some of the biggest brands in the world and is a 6x Inc. 5000 company.

noun-trading

Our Services

Ignite Visibility offers Award-Winning Services including comprehensive full-funnel digital marketing strategies. Learn more about our most popular service offerings below:

  • SEO Search Engine Optimization
  • PPC Pay Per Click
  • Email Marketing
  • Social Media
  • Creative
  • View All Services

Contact Us. Let’s Chat!

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form

Marketing Guides

SEO In 2020: How To Prepare For Major Disruption

"SEO: The Movie" - Have You Seen Our Film? Watch Now

"Social Media Marketing: The Movie" - Have You Seen Our Film? Watch Now

Amazon Seller Central vs Vendor Central

Listen To The Podcast Featuring The Best Minds In Marketing

John Lincoln Interviews Global Director of Digital Marketing & Strategy at Qualcomm, Jessica Jensen

Check Out 227 Free Online Marketing Classes

The 2020 Guide To Dominating SEO With Advanced Schema

Learn More About Our Digital Marketing Agency

Learn More About Our SEO Services

Learn More About Our Paid Media Services

SELECT CATEGORY

Become A Contributor

Interested in writing for Ignite Visibility?

APPLY NOW

noun-chat

Let's Chat

Ready to grow your online visibility and sales?

Request Your Free Proposal

Work With Us

NEWSLETTER // SIGN UP NOW










noun-strategy

Free Marketing Resources

  • Digital Marketing Resources
  • Marketing Strategy Videos
  • Weekly Marketing News Recaps
noun-strategy

Most Popular Blogs

  • How Long Does SEO Take?
  • Multi-Location SEO: Top Strategies
  • Google AI Overviews: Everything You Need to Know
  • Technical SEO 101
  • 18 Google Ad Extensions You Should Use
  • Complete Guide to Google Responsive Display Ads
  • Capitalizing on Local Service Ads
  • How SEO and PPC Work Together
  • Community Management Best Practices
  • B2B Social Media Marketing Guide
  • VIEW ALL BLOGS
noun-letter

Join Our Newsletter

CONNECT WITH US

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • linkedin

Services

  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Generative Engine Optimization
  • Pay Per Click Management
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Email Marketing
  • Conversion Rate Optimization
  • Website Design & Development
  • Creative Design
  • Content Marketing
  • Digital PR
  • Franchise Marketing
  • Digital Marketing Agency Services

About

  • Our Team
  • Our Values
  • Clients
  • Industry
  • Reviews
  • Careers
  • Marketing Resources
  • Privacy Policy & Service Terms
  • Advertising Disclosures
  • Sitemap

Contact

4370 La Jolla Village Drive
Suite 320
San Diego, California 92122

619.752.1955

Join The Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest from Ignite Visibility.











google parther logo

©2025 Ignite Visibility. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy and Terms of Service