The Top 20 Medium Articles of All Time Based on Organic Traffic (and What We Can Learn from Them)
Success leaves clues. I don’t know who to attribute that to, so let’s just say it was someone other than me.
As I’m working to scale my presence on Medium, I wanted to see what types of articles were working right now based on organic traffic from search engines.
This is of particular interest to me right now because the most recent Google algorithm update clearly favors content generated on sites like Medium over websites that are focused solely on exploiting SEO loopholes to get traffic.
So, I jumped over to AHREFs and searched for the top pages.
Keep in mind that this is only based on organic traffic, according to AHREFs. These aren’t the most shared or clapped-for articles (usually not even close). If you want a post about those articles, I’ll do the work if you let me know in the comments!
While I was reviewing the pages, I found a few things...
#1: Lots of the Top Pages Aren’t Legit
About half of the top 20 pages were redirected to 410 errors that said they violated the Medium Rules. They were most likely sending bot traffic to boost their views.
#2: Some of the Data Was Wrong
Some of the pages that appeared in the top 20 were clearly not accurate. AHREFs are usually pretty good, but for whatever reason, some of the posts clearly overstate traffic.
Some giveaways of incorrectly stated data included…
- Few to no claps or comments but 1,000s of monthly visitors
- Traffic to keywords that aren’t actually being searched for
- Article not appearing in Google results at all
I’ve removed anything that redirected to a 410 or was obviously overstated.
#3: People Love Feet...
Ok, maybe not feet necessarily, but people like the idea of making money selling pictures of their feet. Four of the top 20 articles were about selling pictures of your feet online.
Alright, let’s get into the articles starting from 20–1.
20. Debate: Are There More Doors or Wheels in the World? (SOLVED) by Christopher Kokoski
- Est. Organic Traffic: 14,673
- Referring Domains: 23
- Insight: Articles that tackle quirky or unusual questions can also attract attention and spark discussion, leading to organic traffic. I hadn’t heard of this particular question, but based on AHREFs, lots of other people have!
19. What’s The Difference Between Rare, Medium, And Well-Done Steak?
- Est. Organic Traffic: 14,971
- Referring Domains: 98
- Insight: Food-related topics that answer common questions can be a hit, especially if they offer clear and concise information.
18. A Space Debris Expert Weighs in on the Massive Chinese Rocket Body Falling Uncontrollably to Earth
- Est. Organic Traffic: 15,082
- Referring Domains: 186
- Insight: Timely topics can attract a lot of attention and credibility, as indicated by the high number of referring domains. This
17. Best Kickass Proxies for 2022 [Updated List] by Christian Stewart
- Est. Organic Traffic: 15,943
- Referring Domains: 25
- Insight: Providing updated lists of resources can make your article a go-to guide that drives traffic.
16. What Does ‘1K’ or ‘1M’ Mean? Full Information by Blogs Seo
- Est. Organic Traffic: 16,012
- Referring Domains: 61
- Insight: Articles that quickly explain simple questions can attract a broad audience looking for quick answers IF they can get to the top of search engines. In this case, the terms had low competition.
15. Here Lies Wordle: 2021–2027 (Full Answer List) by Owen Yin
- Est. Organic Traffic: 17,021
- Referring Domains: 172
- Insight: Capitalizing on trending topics like “Wordle” can give your article a short-term boost, which may translate into long-term traffic if the content remains relevant.
14. Access Raspberry Pi behind router or firewall remotely from outside network over the Internet by Ganesh Velrajan
- Est. Organic Traffic: 17,225
- Referring Domains: 8
- Insight: Technical guides that solve specific problems can attract visitors and backlinks from forums or other specialized sites.
13. 17 Cute Short Love Stories That Will Make You Smile
- Est. Organic Traffic: 17,626
- Referring Domains: 47
- Insight: Emotional or feel-good content can also be a hit, especially if it’s easily shareable.
12. วิธีเขียนที่อยู่ภาษาอังกฤษ (Writing an Address in English) by Pakapol Laosri
- Est. Organic Traffic: 18,347
- Referring Domains: 6
- Insight: Articles that address basic but essential skills can attract a wide audience. This is one of the only articles that wasn’t written in english as well.
11. How To Sell Feet Pictures On Onlyfans? Make $300 A Day Selling Feet Pics
- Est. Organic Traffic: 18,468
- Referring Domains: 8
- Insight: Combining popular platforms like OnlyFans with niche topics can be a winning strategy for organic traffic.
10. Birthday Wishes for Nephew by Happy Birthday
- Est. Organic Traffic: 20,196
- Referring Domains: 11
- Insight: Content that serves as a resource for specific occasions can generate consistent traffic year-round.
9. Duas for Exams by Anum Kazi
- Est. Organic Traffic: 22,437
- Referring Domains: 10
- Insight: Religious or spiritual content that addresses specific life events can also attract a dedicated audience.
8. Another Uncontrolled Chinese Rocket Body is Falling Toward Earth. Any Questions?
- Est. Organic Traffic: 23,428
- Referring Domains: 435
- insight: The high number of referring domains indicates that timely and urgent topics can draw a lot of attention and backlinks.
7. Top 10 genres of Music Industry
- Est. Organic Traffic: 24,407
- Referring Domains: 92
- Insight: Lists and rankings within popular categories like music can generate good traffic. The high number of referring domains suggests it’s a credible source for many.
6. How Angels Really Look Like, According to the Bible by Ben Kageyama
- Est. Organic Traffic: 28,302
- Referring Domains: 5
- Insight: Articles that address curiosity or debunk myths can also be traffic magnets. Despite the low number of referring domains, the topic itself seems to pull in readers.
5. How To Sell Feet Pics: Make $200 A Day Selling Pictures of Your Feet
- Est. Organic Traffic: 42,249
- Referring Domains: 19
- Insight: Again, niche topics with a how-to angle can attract a lot of organic traffic. The promise of making money likely adds to its allure.
4. 31 of the Best and Most Famous Short Classic Poems Of All Time
- Est. Organic Traffic: 53,867
- Referring Domains: 159
- Insight: Classic topics with broad appeal can still generate significant traffic. The high number of referring domains suggests that the article is often cited as a resource.
3. FeetFinder Reviews: Is FeetFinder a Legit Website? Pros and Cons
- Est. Organic Traffic: 59,295
- Referring Domains: 18
- Insight: This article also targets a niche audience and provides valuable information that people are actively searching for. It shows the power of addressing specific questions or concerns.
2. 15+ Best Sites to Sell Feet Pics (Updated For 2023) by Toby Kiernan
- Est. Organic Traffic: 69,258
- Referring Domains: 49
- Insight: The article capitalizes on a niche but highly searched topic. The “Updated for 2023” in the title also likely helps in maintaining its relevance and attracting ongoing traffic.
1. Symbols for Social Media by George Kao
- Est. Organic Traffic: 108,091
- Referring Domains: 64
- Insight: This article ranks for something so basic that most people wouldn’t even think to write about it.
Observations
Here are a few observations I gathered.
#1 Content length was all over the place.
There is clearly no “correct” length for a medium post. The most popular article was also the shortest at just 134 words.
#2 Traffic doesn’t mean followers.
Since most of these articles were informational, it didn’t appear that the views were converting to followers. Having tons of followers on Medium is clearly more ideal than having a couple of posts that get a ton of organic search traffic.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
Also, if you want me to write a similar article based on the most popular Medium articles in terms of claps and shares, let me know!
