You may have heard the expression, “content is king.” While you and others may nod in agreement when an SEO expert offers this statement, what does it really mean? In short, it is content that people want to read, share, talk about and otherwise “vote” up — what they find meaningful as well as useful. Here’s how to create strong web content every time.
1. Keep to a schedule. Strong web content isn’t so much based on numbers, but on the quality of the articles written. Still, expect to contribute new content about two or three times per week, even much more often if your site is popular. Establish a schedule and be diligent to follow it advises BestSEOCompanies.com.
2. Go for a minimum word count. Word count isn’t everything, but short articles simply do not impart the confidence readers have that your work is original, interesting and worth coming back to. The days of 300-word articles are in the past. Today, you need a minimum of 500 to 600 words to leave an impression. To be safe, some people shoot for 600 words and use that as a starting point. From there, they build thoughtful, informative, but concise articles that may double that minimum word count.
3. Use a variety of article types to reach your readers. Not every article needs to be a news item, a product review, or your opinion piece. Endeavor to come up with a full range of article styles to reach your readers. If you are doing a review, then let your readers know from the onset what your relationship is with the company. Be objective — your readers want you to tell the truth and will have no respect for you if it appears your review is slanted. Also consider putting on your reporter’s hat and interviewing people. Find different ways to craft your articles. Yes, it will take a lot of time to present strong web content, but the result is a solid reader base. And new customers too!
4. Accept guest posts carefully and only rarely. It can seem so tempting — you want to add content but you don’t have the time to do it yourself. You’ve already been approached by people who would like to contribute guest articles, but you’re not certain that this is the right approach. Well, there are reasons to avoid guest articles, especially if the person isn’t an expert, is simply looking for a back link or has some other motive in mind. At the same time, if you come across someone who is a rock star in your field and would like to contribute an original article, then by all means engage them. Don’t rely on guest articles to build your site. Instead, look at them as a supplement, and a very important one at that.
5. Consider paid content. No, not content paid by a company to post to your site, although such “native advertising” does have its place. Instead, if you have the budget, it is perfectly fine to hire a company or a professional to provide web content for you. For a fee, of course. What you need is a pool of writers that can supply content and do so professionally. Better yet is the person who knows your voice and understands what you’re attempting to convey. Such a person is worth his or her weight in gold — you’ll pay for the content and you can use your name on the byline. Yes, it is ghostwriting, a practice that has been around for a long time. Always verify that the content is unique, accurate, and flawless.
6. Concentrate on titles, sub headers, photos, captions, and the rest. It isn’t just important to supply stellar content, but to deliver it in a way that is interesting, informative and uplifting. To get to that point you need content that shines and the magnetic headlines that attract people to your site. Work on your titles, insert instructive sub headers, add in interesting photos and use captions. Link out with care and always interlink to relevant and related articles on your site.
7. Measure your visits. Visitors to your site will like some content better than others. Check your web analytics to see if a pattern is emerging. If it is, then work on replicating it. You should also make use of social media to share your articles, including Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and in some cases LinkedIn. Ride the social media wave and you’ll have more followers (and customers) to show for it.
Content Considerations
Considering, outlining, developing, writing, editing, and publishing web content is a lot of work. It can seem overwhelming and that is why some people work with an SEO team to make this happen.
You might also consider other people on your team who have a flair for writing and tap their talents from time to time too. Making it a team effort can take the pressure off of you as you reallocate your resources to reach more people.