How to create content that's objectively better than your competitors

Executive overview

"Better" is subjective — and that makes it useless as a content goal. Four measurable attributes replace opinion with criteria: clarity, depth, usefulness, and presentation. Assess any competitor page against these four, then identify the gaps your content can fill.

The core insight: user experience — not conversion — is what makes content genuinely better, and the gap between what competitors publish and what users actually need is your opportunity.

The four attributes of great content

• Clarity — communicating ideas in clear, succinct, digestible ways; often the most underrated attribute
• Depth — answering the full range of questions a visitor might have, not just the surface answer
• Usefulness — solving the user's actual reason for visiting; study the top 3–5 ranking pages to understand what visitors want
• Presentation — visual appeal and scannability; first impressions shape trust instantly

How to assess a competitor's page

• Apply the four criteria to remove personal bias before forming a judgment
• Identify which attributes are strong and which are weak
• Use weaknesses as a brief for what your page must do better
• When pitching for backlinks, name the specific attributes where your page outperforms — "my page is better" is not a pitch

Example: best golf gloves (affiliate post)

• The weak competitor page optimised for conversion, not the reader — stock photos, reworded Amazon bullet points, no real testing
• Clarity was acceptable; depth, usefulness, and presentation all failed
• A better page would show fit and sizing differences between brands, real-world testing, and a video of gloves being worn and evaluated
• MyGolfSpy demonstrates this: featured video, image galleries of testers wearing gloves, sizing charts, a full comparison table ranked by fit, comfort, feel, and grip

Example: protein shake recipes

• Top-ranked page (bodybuilding.com) had 300+ referring domains but thin content — boring names, stock photos, recipes not even on the page
• Depth, usefulness, and presentation all severely lacking despite its authority
• A better page would: photograph the shakes well, explain which protein types suit which goals, include nutrition tables per recipe
• For a long list, a filterable interface helps visitors find shakes that match their specific goals

Example: how to make money online

• Top page listed 28 methods but most were generic, low-trust, and non-actionable — one point was simply "get a part-time job"
• The audience arrives skeptical (the niche is associated with scams) and is beginner-level — they need both trust and clear guidance
• A better page would cover only methods the author has personally tested, share real results (including failures), and link to detailed case studies
• Updating the page with new case studies over time compounds authority and differentiates from static listicles

Content creation principles

• Put yourself in the reader's seat before choosing structure or angle
• Personal proof builds trust faster than statistics — show results, not potential
• Video embedded in the page serves dual purposes: builds credibility and attracts YouTube and Google Video traffic
• The skyscraper technique works when you have genuinely better content to back the outreach pitch
• Creating something you're proud of makes promotion feel natural, not transactional