Curator.io is an easy-to-customize aggregator that lets you pull from over a dozen sources. If you'd like to give Curator.io's free forever plan a spin sign up today.
What is content aggregation?
Content aggregation is simply curating. In other words, it is the collection of relevant data covering the same topic, and displaying it all in one place for easy access and reference by users. This is similar to a single large search engine where only essential information gets collected while all material that is irrelevant or of low-quality is weeded out. It is important to note that this is different from plagiarism. Aggregation does not involve the use of and claiming that someone else’s original content is your own. However, we wouldn’t deny that some aggregators have been accused of bordering on this.Examples of content aggregation
The best way to really grasp the art of aggregating content is to see examples. Otherwise, it all sounds like marketing gobbledygook, right? Let's explore examples from different styles, or methods, of aggregation to better understand this strategy.Aggregating your own social media content
One common form of content aggregation is when brands and businesses curate their own social media content into a feed which they add to their website. This helps add life and style to their website while giving their social media content more reach and exposure. Check out this example from Atlantic 10.
This example was made with Curator! Curator lets you embed your social media posts in your website for free.
Aggregating user-generated social media content
Another common form of aggregating content is pulling together posts from fans and customers. This is an amazing way to show brand authority and build community. Brands can encourage customers to post with a branded hashtag, then they can approve which posts to utilize and showcase in their own feed. This example is from Dover Saddlery, and they encourage customers to use the hashtag #itsfromdover.
This example was made with Curator! Curator lets you embed your social media posts in your website for free.
Curator.io is an easy-to-customize aggregator that lets you pull from over a dozen sources. If you'd like to give Curator.io's free forever plan a spin sign up today.
Aggregating top news articles
Flipboard is a popular example of a website that aggregates the top content from news sites and content sites around the world. Readers can follow certain topics to read about what they're interested in.
Aggregating blog posts
Check out this example from a travel blogging site.
Why do brands aggregate content?
When done correctly, you could provide your readership with rich content that could greatly benefit them. Plus, your readers stay on your site longer thanks to having everything they're searching for in one place. Below are some advantages of aggregating content:Efficient and not labor intensive
Content aggregators are structured to do all the dirty work of searching and collecting data. Once you identify the relevant content for your needs, all you need to do is copy and paste segments to find the information, and your aggregator will do the rest.Search engines approve
Secondly, when using content aggregators, you are guaranteed that your content is relevant. Posting relevant content in your site regularly results to direct traffic which could lead to decent rankings. At no point does Google specify that all the content on your site has to be original. However, just make sure you credit the original source to avoid plagiarism.Faster education
With content aggregators, you only need to look for the necessary information in the curated content. Spending less time to search saves you more time to invest in other important tasks. Aggregators also provide rich sources to educate yourself on emerging trends. Just like technology, information available on the net is fast-paced. And to keep up with consumer demands, your business needs to be up-to-date.Build valuable backlinks and your rank
While this isn't always a guarantee, aggregating content from other publishers helps build valuable backlinks for them. Having high-quality, relevant links to other sources helps to boost your own rank. Plus, those publishers may very well share the love and link back to you. In case you didn't know, high-quality backlinks are thought to account for as much as 30% of your Google ranking score.Get the content your readers crave
There's a reason why 68% of people get their news from social media. It's the ultimate content aggregator, even if it's not exactly the most reliable. People get to socialize and catch up on numerous news sources at once. Why not be the more reliable source with a trusted content aggregator that gives your readers what they crave, but without all the fake news and fluff?Curator.io is an easy-to-customize aggregator that lets you pull from over a dozen sources. If you'd like to give Curator.io's free forever plan a spin sign up today.
How do you aggregate content?
You should be cautious as you aggregate content. First, you need to be sure you are not plagiarising other people’s content. Secondly, check the quality. If content aggregation is done poorly, you might end up with low-quality content that your audience might not appreciate. This would increase your bounce rate and hurt your overall search rank. Below are some things you could do to create well-aggregated content:Find relevant and accurate sources
Ensure that the sources of the posts you aggregate are credible and trustworthy. Consider posts done by influencers as well as material posted in authority websites in your industry. Whichever material you consider, always double-check to ensure that the material is relevant, accurate, and the topics are important to your audience. Also, note that some sources are likely to be more curation friendly compared to others. Blogs, social media, and newsletters are seen to be more curation friendly since they offer far-reaching platforms that can encourage dialogue and support extensive comments. If you're not sure which sites to curate content from, perform searches for "best sites for" or "top sites for"+ your topic. For instance, if you were interested in Facebook marketing, you might search for "best sites for Facebook marketing." Another option is to search for blogs, such as "best Facebook marketing blogs." Look at the highest ranking sites to see if this is the type of content you want to share with your own readers.Add useful insights to original posts
When engaging your readers on a particular topic, you need to be clear on your stand on the issue. Do you disagree or agree with the writer and why? What additional information do you have that supports or refutes the author’s statement? Add excerpts from various sources that can help put your insights across to your followers. This also helps the content seem more original, helping your search rank even more. It also gives your readers a reason to come to you and not the original sources or another site using a content aggregator.Summarize information into easy-to-read chunks
Consider summarizing all the primary information you have collected into a much more readable article or bullet points that are much easier to follow. This makes it easy for your fans to read all the details they should know within a shorter time. People's attention spans have evolved to better handle the deluge of information available. Attention spans are less than they used to be, but that's because readers want to spend their time on what's most important to them. That is why there are multiple apps that provide the best book summaries nowadays. Having a summary helps readers quickly decide if the content is worth their time. Doing this shows your readers you care about their experience. Make your readers happy and they'll keep returning and recommending you.Link to sources
Include links/ references of the data you have collected. This way, you not only give credit to the original publications but also offer your readers access to more material they might be looking for.Empower your sources and engage readers into a discussion
Ask your readers some questions and inspire your sources to respond to queries from your audience. The discussion needs to be objective and healthy for everyone as concerns the topics and issues you have published. Simply put, once you provide your market with the right kind of content they are searching for, interact with them on ways you can resolve their issues, and give your followers a reason to believe in your brand. Remember, building relationships is the most important marketing tool you have. Using content aggregators is a great way to help not only build trust, but lasting relationships.Tools you can use to aggregate content
There are many tools in the market to help you with content curation and aggregation on your website. We’ve picked three top-rated examples you may consider:Curator.io
Curator.io combines curation and aggregation to help you present the most appropriate content for your readers. This tool offers grouping and categorization features of blogs and news articles depending on your readers' interests. It’s user-friendly, making it ideal for beginners and professionals alike. It works well with Facebook, Twitter, RSS, and other social media sources.
Curator.io is an easy-to-customize aggregator that lets you pull from over a dozen sources. If you'd like to give Curator.io's free forever plan a spin sign up today.
Curation Suite
This tool is somewhat similar to curator.io. Whereas it doesn’t have a built-in RSS feeder, it provides a friendly user-interface and additional curation options. Once you activate it, this plugin pulls up a dedicated aggregation sidebar beside your WordPress visual editor. With this, you can easily curate images, texts, videos, as well as social embeds.
Curata
Curate is labeled as a business-grade content aggregator tool. Much like the others on this list, it gathers content sources together in one place. The self-learning engine helps weed out the good from the bad to find the most relevant content. You can then publish content directly from the tool.
BuzzSumo
This tool enables you to monitor the progress of your links on social media. It also gives you suggestions on share-worthy content. You will only have to type in a subject, and it generates a structured list of content depending on their popularity.
Consider filtering the list either by language, date, and content type. For example, are you searching for videos? Infographics? Blog? Web news? From here, you can quickly identify industry experts in your niche and subscribe to their blogs.
Storyful
Storyful works a bit differently than other content aggregators. It has a human element that helps verify sources before sending them your way. With so much data available online, this is a great option for finding the highest-quality sources for news-based sites, where facts are crucial.
It works well when combined with another content aggregator. After all, verifying sources is always a good idea.
Flipboard is well known as a site where consumers can follow certain topics to get their news in an easy-to-read format. The app lets users scroll through the news like they were reading a Digital magazine. But the site also has features for publishers, brands, and businesses that let them aggregate content into a feed which their audience can follow. For example, a company can aggregate content related to an event to showcase different articles, posts, and videos.
Don't forget to consider usage rights
It's a long-standing debate as to whether content aggregators hurt the original publishers. Questionable aggregators curate content and use it anyway they please. This is the wrong way to do it and it hurts the income of the original publishers. Always consider usage rights before using someone else's content on your site. Legitimate content aggregators don't steal content, they just help you share it. If you're using the full content, ensure the relationship with the publisher is symbiotic, meaning you both benefit. This may involve some sort of payment or just a backlink and the name of the source. If you don't double-check usage rights, you could find yourself hit with a lawsuit, which ruins all your hard work. Publishers work hard to create content, so when you share it, make sure both of you benefit.Key takeaways & tips
As you can see, aggregating content is an effective marketing strategy that can enable you to supply quality content to your audience. Here’s a summary of things to remember when aggregating content:- Use relevant and accurate sources. This is easy. Aggregation tools will generate this automatically once you input the keywords. Always take the time to verify sources to ensure you build trust with your readers.
- Add your insights to the original posts. Consider using a different approach on the topic then work with it in your texts. This helps you stand out from social media and other aggregator sites. Plus, your unique voice could be the deciding factor as to whether readers come to you or the competition.
- Summarise information into easy-to-read chunks. A quick summary with bullet points works well. If you want to make it even easier, link each bullet point to the relevant section in the original post so they can jump exactly where they want to go.
- Include source links. This helps to acknowledge the original writers. Also, remember to invite them to participate in the discussions with your readers. Partnering with your sources helps everyone, including your readers.
- Inspire your readers to share their insights and opinions concerning your topic. Note that the aim of aggregating content is not just for consistency in publishing content, but to provide your subscribers with valuable information. Google values high-quality useful content over quantity. If your readers are engaging, this shows Google your site is relevant to users.
- And finally, double-check whether there are usage rights on the material you intend to aggregate and ensure you follow the due process in getting the rights before you to use them. Many publishers don't care and even encourage the use of content aggregators to help them reach larger audiences. Other consider it giving their content away for free. Avoid the drama and check first.
Curator.io is an easy-to-customize aggregator that lets you pull from over a dozen sources. If you'd like to give Curator.io's free forever plan a spin sign up today.