New link explorer

[seoanalytics]

I was checking this new tool which is really cool by the way and was wondering if I  can outrank big guys with just content.

I have a Domain authority of 28 with a spam score of 28 %

Can I outrank with amazing content a site that hase a domain authority of 50 and a spam score of 1 % ?

Should I ask for all my bad links to be removed so that my spam score goes down or doesn't it matter anymore those days and what matters is good content, link just don't count anymore ?

Thank you,

[Roman-Delcarmen]

If you want to rank just with content and DA 28, well you need to focus on other SEO aspects

• Almost perfect site structure (recommended tool in my opinion Dynomapper)
• Almost perfect schemas (focus on schemas supported by Google)
• Almost perfect internal links (Yoast premium - very easy to create internal links)
• Almost perfect site performance (focus on AMP and Good Hosting)

Need to make an outstanding content audit to find those content gap, where you can rank, there is no sense trying to rank for a keyword difficulty is 80, does not make sense.

This is just my opinion based on my experience

[seoanalytics]

So according to you amazing content won't work to get to the top ?

[Roman-Delcarmen]

First, you need to define what is amazing content, I hear that term all over the web, but usually, no one has a real idea of what it is or how to do it.

• https://moz.com/blog/how-to-create-10x-content-whiteboard-friday
• https://yoast.com/what-is-cornerstone-content/

Of course, you can rank just with content but keep in mind that the most important factors on SEO this days are Links and Content, and until I know Google does not reveal until today how they evaluate the content. And if you want to rank just with content this day you will need 2 things

1. Wait and let Google Rank your site (get the first place on SERP is a little bit utopic)
2. Promote your content (Mostly with outreach)

Thing is if you have

• _Outstanding conten_t,
• Great schemas,
• AMP
• Good Site and Link structure

Your content will have a better chance to rank in less time in an organic way, but keep in mind that links still have the power to boost your site (real links, with content related to your topic, on the body). Footer links, directory links, can penalize your site but real links still are the best way to rank your site.....why? well, it's really simple, at the end of the day Google is just a script who follow links, so no links no game.

Why content matters? because if you have the links, and schemas, and AMP, performance and a good site structure, with no useful content, you can get the top and then lose all your ranking... really simple

[seoanalytics]

Thank you Roman, I will work on that.

[brettmandoes]

Roman is spot on. Links are still a big part of the game, but there are specific instances where you can rank with just content. Local SEO is a prime example. I only ever bother with citations for local SEO because I consistently rank just by focusing on content, technical/on-page SEO, and citations.

For my clients with a national presence, outreach is necessary. Think healthcare and finance - smaller guys are competing with massive banks who have a ton of authority and history. Content won't win in that space alone (I wish it did). There are some real easy outreach wins early on, but once you've used up the easy stuff (like getting into directories or fixing broken backlinks) then you have to do a content inventory, find your best stuff, and promote it. 
OR
You have to create amazing content, then promote that and earn some backlinks. Like Roman says, the term "great content" is overused and oversold. Most people who show me their great content are often showing off mediocre content.

Best of luck!