What Doesn't Seem Like Work? The 2 Most Popular Scaled Growth Channels for Unicorn Consumer Companies

What Doesn't Seem Like Work? The 2 Most Popular Scaled Growth Channels for Unicorn Consumer Companies

When it comes to finding our true calling, sometimes it's the things that don't feel like work that lead us in the right direction. If something that seems like work to other people doesn't seem like work to you, that's a strong indicator of what you're well suited for. In fact, the stranger your tastes may seem to others, the more likely they are to be evidence of what you should pursue.

But how do we determine what truly doesn't feel like work? One way to find out is by looking at the most successful consumer startups in the United States. Companies like Uber, Airbnb, Lyft, Pinterest, and more have reached unicorn status with valuations in the billions. And what has been their secret to growth? According to Jeff Chang, a growth engineer, the two most popular scaled growth channels for these companies are referrals and SEO.

SEO, or search engine optimization, is an incredibly effective growth channel for many reasons. One of the main factors is the sheer number of searches conducted each day with high intent. With Google processing over 3.5 billion searches daily, there are countless opportunities for businesses to show up for free to potential users. This alone makes SEO a channel worth considering for any company looking to scale.

But what exactly does it take for a company to succeed with SEO? Chang breaks it down into four key parts: growing, quality, user-generated, and text content. First and foremost, the content base needs to grow. In order to compete with the top pages already listed on Google, a company needs to continuously produce high-quality content. This is where user-generated content comes into play.

Instead of generating content in-house, it is often more effective to rely on user-generated content to achieve the scale needed to make a significant impact on SEO. With thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of pages needed to generate substantial SEO traffic, it becomes crucial to have a large volume of content. User-generated content allows companies to tap into the power of their user base and create a vast amount of relevant content.

Among all types of content, text content is the most valuable for SEO. This is because search engines like Googlebot can easily understand and index text content. If a product or service generates a growing base of quality user-generated text content, it has a good product-channel fit for SEO and should be a top growth priority.

So, how can companies leverage the power of SEO to drive growth? Here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Foster a community of engaged users: Encourage your users to generate content related to your product or service. This could be in the form of reviews, testimonials, blog posts, or even social media content. By fostering a community that actively contributes, you can tap into a continuous stream of user-generated text content that will boost your SEO efforts.

2. Optimize your content for search engines: Ensure that the content generated by your users is optimized for search engines. This includes using relevant keywords, creating meta tags, and structuring the content in a way that search engines can easily understand. By doing so, you increase the chances of your content ranking higher in search engine results and driving organic traffic to your website.

3. Continuously analyze and improve: SEO is not a one-time effort. It requires constant monitoring, analysis, and improvement. Keep track of your SEO metrics, such as organic traffic and keyword rankings, and identify areas for optimization. By continuously analyzing and improving your SEO strategy, you can stay ahead of the competition and drive sustained growth.

In conclusion, finding what doesn't feel like work to you can be a powerful indicator of your true calling. By looking at successful consumer startups and their growth strategies, we can learn valuable lessons about what works and what doesn't. SEO, with its potential for free exposure and scalability, is a growth channel that should not be overlooked. By focusing on growing a base of quality user-generated text content, companies can tap into the power of SEO and drive significant growth. So, if you're looking to scale your business, consider the power of SEO and implement these actionable strategies to unlock its potential.