Website Content Guide 2010
To start this discussion off let me ask a question – don’t you just hate it when you click on a search result and hit a page that has 1 paragraph of 3 year old content?
If you answered YES to this question, than you are now one step closer to becoming an
“SEO Expert with a Real Job.”
The basis for this installment in our “SEO Explained” series is to help you understand both the conceptual and detailed reasons why it’s important to have good content on your website that is updated frequently. And the discussion has never been more important given the rich types of content available in the digital world of 2010.
So People with Real Jobs Can Understand, Please
When we talk about website content we are talking about the actual wording, images and text that’s on the page. And as ridiculous as it sounds, there are still a large number of folks who believe that their 4 year old brochure-style information is still sufficient for their website.
There has been a lot written about the subject of content and search engine optimization and much of it can be confusing. That’s because heady SEO types like to confuse people with real jobs by talking about things like keyword density, long tail keywords and keyword relevance.
But here’s the formula for getting good website results without the “geek speak” –add relevant, useful or interesting information to your website on a regular basis.
Types of content you can use on your website includes:
- Articles
- Blogging
- Video
- Podcasts
- News
Why Should You Care? Because Google Says So!
The biggest reason you should care is because Google says you should! The below image is taken straight from Google’s webmaster guide and pretty much sums it up:
And, as if you needed more than just Google’s guidance, take a look around the web and see what the most popular sites (according to Alexa) that are not search engines:
- Facebook
- You Tube
- Wikipedia
- Biadu
- Blogger
What do they all have in common? Content. The popularity of these sites is driven by content that is being updated on a regular basis.
The Geek Angle
The good news is you don’t need a geek on staff to start creating content. However you may want to have a geek review your site to make sure Google will actually be able to index your content once you create it. You may need a geek to find out how to do away with excessive flash on your website or older problems such as frames and poorly structured sites.
Another good suggestion if your site is too difficult to manage is to go directly to the free tools like WordPress, Blogger, etc where you can setup your own site in minutes and be ready for the world.
What Can and SHOULD You Be Doing
Getting excited about writing is a bit like making a commitment to losing weight – it sounds great for the first 2 weeks and then it eventually gets pushed to the back burner.
I talk to website owners everyday who have made a few blog posts or done a video but never stayed with it. And they are frustrated because the little they did do has not yielded results. And the best thing you can do if you want to build content on your website is to start making time daily or weekly for it.
6 Practical Tips for Creating Content and Sticking To It:
- Find a subject you are passionate about or have an area of expertise.
- Budget some time daily to write or create content
- Create a content plan that has a schedule of topics for 3-4 months so you don’t have to remember what to write about.
- Use free tools such as Google’s Wonder Wheel to see what other topics people are interested in
- Shoot for articles of 350 -600 words. No thesis or doctoral papers necessary!
- Share your work on social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Linked In where you are already participating.
Google's Wonder Wheel: A Great Free Tool
No Excuses Allowed for Not Participating
For those of you who hate writing, are seriously limited on time or simply aren’t creative there is hope. You can easily find writers out there who will learn your story and help you tell it to the world. You can find everything from high school students to seasoned writers with web experience who are out there ready to help.
Hopefully this explanation helps you to understand why having good content on your website has never been more important than it is now in 2010. You can also checkout our other installments in the SEO Explained for People with Real Jobs Series.
Contact WSI today
For more information on content development, internet marketing or other website related services please contact WSI today at 1-866-345-8279.