How Bitesize Bio uses scientific content marketing to attract 1.7M researchers annually

ByZara Puckrin

Over the last decade, Bitesize Bio has become an invaluable resource in the bioscience community. Packed with a virtually endless supply of free articles, webinars, and podcasts, this platform is a testament to the power of great content marketing. 

But when Nick Oswald began Bitesize Bio in 2007, he had no marketing experience or knowledge. Instead, he built Bitesize Bio through a painstaking process of trial and error.

Through this experimentation, Nick has distilled 7 key lessons that have shaped his approach to scientific content marketing. These practical, actionable insights remain relevant today and should underpin any content marketing strategy. 

1. Address the needs of your audience (not your own) 🎁

Effective content marketing puts the needs of your audience front and center. Instead of promoting products or services, great content provides information and resources that readers will find helpful. 

While this “giving first” approach may appear counterintuitive in a commercial setting, delivering content that helps your audience can positively influence their perception of your brand. If you can figure out what keeps your readers up at night and craft content directly addressing their pain, your brand will become their go-to guide. As a result, they are more likely to trust your advice and come to you when they have a commercial need.

Example: Bitesize Bio and the 2007 blogging craze

During the 2007 blogging craze, most bioscience blogs shared topical stories, such as the latest research developments, techniques, and papers. 

Bitesize Bio took a radically different approach. Instead of focusing on current events, we published articles that solved real-life lab dilemmas. These blog posts were popular with Google’s users, who were seeking answers to their research questions. As a result, Google rewarded Bitesize Bio with higher search rankings; a win-win for our website and audience. 

Today, Bitesize Bio is a company with commercial goals; however, we’ve never lost sight of our roots. As the go-to hub for bioscientists, our team continues to address the needs of our audience first and foremost. 

Lesson 1: The key to effective scientific content marketing is simple: focus on your audience. Understand their needs and pain points, and deliver content that truly resonates. 

2. Focus on evergreen content 🌲

Effective content remains valuable to your audience today, tomorrow, and beyond. This “evergreen” content stands the test of time and remains relevant to your readers for years. Creating timeless content requires careful foresight and planning. However, if executed successfully, this strategy will provide lasting value and continually draw traffic to your platform.

Example: The essential PCR troubleshooting checklist 

In 2008, Nick published an article* detailing the ins and outs of PCR. These insights were based on his own experiences and those of fellow researchers. Fast forward over a decade, and this article still attracts a steady supply of organic traffic to the Bitesize Bio website. Written in a few hours, it has reached over a million researchers and remains valuable to scientists tackling PCR challenges today. 

Lesson 2: If you’re serious about building a scientific content marketing strategy that delivers long-term results, keep your content evergreen. When your posts have staying power, your audience (and individual prospects) keep returning year after year.

3. Prioritize the flow of ideas 🧠

When Nick started Bitesize Bio, he prioritized new content over everything else. Not all of these new articles resonated with our audience, but those that did became cornerstones of the Bitesize Bio website.

Forcing creativity on a timeline doesn’t work, but many creators still get caught up in rigid publication schedules and deadlines. Prioritizing the flow of ideas over a publication schedule is vital to creating a solid foundation for your content marketing. While deadlines have their place, they shouldn’t overshadow the creative process.

Lesson 3: Generating new ideas takes imagination, creativity, and lots of brainstorming. Instead of being caught up in a schedule, focus on cultivating a constant stream of great ideas.

4. No “news” is good news 🗞️

One of the most common pitfalls in content marketing is the allure of publishing news content.

Novel discoveries are happening all the time in science. But while news content may be informative and timely, there are better strategies for your content marketing efforts. There are two main reasons for this:

  • News doesn’t address the core needs of your audience. it might attract some attention in the short term, but it won’t necessarily drive long-term traffic or attract relevant people.
  • News isn’t evergreen. It quickly becomes outdated as new information emerges, losing its relevance. Even if you initially rank well on Google, your traffic and engagement will eventually dwindle. 

There is a place for news content, especially informing your audience about industry trends. But in scientific content marketing, relying too heavily on news will not help you build traffic. Instead, focus on creating content that addresses your audience’s core needs and provides lasting value.

Lesson 4: Avoid publishing news stories and instead focus on evergreen content. Remember that in content marketing, quality beats quantity every time.

5. Maintain the structure 🧱

Since Google values the history and relevance of your website’s URLs, repurposing and refreshing existing content can be incredibly valuable. Periodically refreshing legacy articles keeps your content accurate and your audience engaged.

Maintaining your website’s digital structure is also crucial for the long-term success of your content. Google’s algorithm can be unforgiving, and even seemingly innocuous changes to web pages can be disastrous for organic traffic. Whether you have thousands of web pages or just a handful, each needs attention to ensure it performs optimally.

Example: Changing the Bitesize Bio URLs

In 2012, Bitesize Bio’s URL structure was changed to improve consistency. While the content on these pages remained the same, enforcing the new URLs caused traffic to plummet. By the time we realized what had happened, it was too late. 

It took Bitesize Bio a whole year to recover from this change. The experience taught us a valuable lesson: once you’ve built a website, you must maintain the structure rigorously to avoid costly setbacks.

Lesson 5: While creating new content is important, ongoing optimization of legacy content is essential to keeping your articles accurate, valuable, and compliant with the Google algorithm. By viewing your content as a structure that needs regular maintenance, you can ensure your website remains visible to your audience.

6. Get excellent SEO support 🖥️

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website for search engine visibility and rankings. It depends on various on-page, off-page, and technical factors, including page speed, keyword relevance, backlinks, and more.

Today, if you want your online content to rank, you must ensure it is search engine optimized. Various platforms, including Moz and SEMRush, can be used to track SEO; however, it is often worth seeking the support of a consultant who understands and stays up to date on this niche topic. 

Example: Bitesize Bio’s SEO journey 

Back in 2007, Nick didn’t pay much attention to Google. Instead, he focused on creating content that scientists needed. However, as the search engine’s algorithm updates became increasingly frequent and complex, Bitesize Bio’s visibility and traffic were affected. Nick had to start allocating resources toward SEO to anticipate and avoid disruption.

Lesson 6: Investing in SEO support is essential for any content strategy. If you want to succeed in today’s digital landscape, you’ve got to play by Google’s rules.

7. Content is no longer king 👑

Only a few decades ago, content marketing was simple: if you created fantastic content, Google would recognize and reward you. While great content is still essential, it’s no longer enough to rank on the search engine’s result pages. In addition, your content must demonstrate expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness (EEAT). 

What is EEAT in SEO? 

  • Experience: Google wants to know that the content author has first-hand experience in their writing area. Has the creator struggled with this pain and has valuable advice for readers?
  • Expertise: Content creators should be experts in the field they are talking about. Make sure you include links to authoritative sources in your content and include valid credentials in authors’ bios. 
  • Authoritativeness: Does your website have a good reputation for quality content? Google is looking for signs that your site is recommended and used by other experts in your field. 
  • Trustworthiness Google wants to know that people can trust the information they find on your site. This is the most critical factor in EEAT and ensures your site is safe and secure.

If you want to learn more about EEAT, this video explains the acronym in more depth.

Example: Bitesize Bio’s first article

The very first blog post on Bitesize Bio was a 500-word article titled “5 DNA Ligation Tips.” The post pulled in several hundred visitors per day for many years. However, as Google’s algorithm started favoring longer articles, we had to optimize this webpage to meet the new standard. 

We first tried expanding the content to meet Google’s word count requirements, but that wasn’t enough. So we tried fusing it with another article to create a more comprehensive piece** that aligned with Google’s preferences. This page is still bringing in traffic today and is one of the most popular articles on our website.

Lesson 7: Content is no longer king: EEAT is. To succeed in today’s digital landscape, you must focus on building your site’s expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness.

Key takeaways 🥡

In summary, here are the key lessons for scientific content marketing success:

  1. Focus on the audience’s needs, not yours. Provide valuable content that solves researchers’ problems and establishes you as a trusted resource.
  2. Create evergreen content. Focus on timeless topics that remain relevant for long-term SEO and user value.
  3. Prioritize a steady stream of ideas over rigid schedules. Separate the production of new content from your publishing schedule as a distinct domain.
  4. Avoid news-chasing. Focus on evergreen content that addresses core audience needs over short-term trends.
  5. Maintain and optimize your website structure. Regularly refresh content and avoid making structural changes that hurt SEO.
  6. Invest in SEO for search engine visibility. Optimize your website for search engines to improve organic traffic.
  7. Build Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust (EEAT). Demonstrate your credibility in your field to rank well in search results.

Are you looking for support with your content marketing strategy? At Bitesize Bio, we have over 15 years of experience in B2B lead nurturing. Contact us today to book a call with our team and learn more. 

Further resources 🧠

Nick Oswald. 7 Hard Won Lessons for Successful Content Marketing to Scientific Audiences. The Life Science Marketing Society. 2021. 

Joe Cowman. E-E-A-T Your Greens: Google’s Content Guidelines Are Vital For SEO. Fat Joe, 2023. 

*This article was first published in 2008 but was updated in 2016 as part of our content optimization strategy (lesson 5)

**This article was first published in 2007 but was updated in 2022 as part of our content optimization strategy (discussed in lesson 5)