Facing these figures, we realised that the era where we could say "M'eh, a website, what good would that be to me!" is now over. The number of households with access to the Internet increases every year, in every country around the world. Each of these homes is a potential client or an important resource for the small business or individual who has decided to create a website.
Create quality content
In this context, it is necessary to know how to create good content and present your site adequately to reach the right audience. The writing process of your content becomes very important, not only for your SEO, but also to distinguish yourself from your competitors. More Internet access also means more websites ... know how to keep yours up to date and professional. If your content is not adequate, your audience will look elsewhere.
Write for your audience. Keep it in mind. Are you addressing parents, entrepreneurs, artists, colleagues, friends? Adopt the right level of language and the appropriate vocabulary for your audience when you’re writing.
The WowInternet blog also published little reminders on writing web content. The article is very relevant and treats of an important topic, so I’m reblogging the information, with my own twist!
Step 1 : Research Your Subject Area
Always be sure to use fresh, relevant, interesting and unique subjects on which to write about. An interesting new piece will undoubtedly attract readers and can also help to increase your returning traffic if you’re able to keep up with the quality content regularly.
Take a look into tools such as Google Insights to see what is trending, as well as looking through social bookmarking website like StumbleUpon and Tumblr. This will give you an idea of other relevant content that has been written. On top of this, you could sign up to related blogs’ RSS feeds and have Google Alerts set up to give you a constant flow of research material to use.
Also, don’t shy away from using a controversial topic as your subject matter, as a controversial topic or opinion can spark reactions, feedback and comments; hence, generating links. However, you must be careful that you use credible sources and you can back up the content with facts or your brand’s reputation may be at risk.
Too often, the writer falls into a comfort zone and continue to write the same thing, on the same tone. By researching your area of expertise, you will discover new things, get inspired, find partners… in other words, you’ll be keeping it fresh!
Step 2 : Link to Other Good Content
Once you have carried out your initial research, you should have a wealth of information at your disposal. It is at this point when you should recognize that link-building is very much a two way system. Link to other peoples’ content that you have looked at as this will not only encourage them to link back to you, but it will also help your users find other relevant information. Even if you write the web’s best content all by yourself, it will never have as much impact as if you collaborate with other bloggers. Don’t hesitate to reblog stuff and link back. Always keep the reblogs to relevant information that is linked to your field… and don’t hesitate to put your own twist and comment other people’s posts. Be sure to give credit where credit is due!
Step 3 : Bed in Your Keywords Naturally
When it comes to writing your content, the use of the keyword or key phrases that you are targeting to rank well for cannot be emphasized enough. However, you need to remember to refrain from bombarding your content with constant repetition of the keyword, not only to appease the reader, but also to stop search engines from penalizing you for keyword stuffing. Gaining a penalty like this could be severely detrimental to your SEO progress, and that is not worth the risk. Not to mention that if you put too much keyword in too little text, you will sound like a robot and your readers will know the content is not meant for them.
One way of using it your keywords effectively is to place them in the title of your content. Try to generate a title to your webpage or blog post based around the keywords themselves. Also, if you’ve used the exact keyword or key phrase in the title, it’s worth using semantic variations of it in the actual body text itself, not only to avoid spamming, but also to make your content appear more natural.
Step 4 : Structure Your Content
The structure of the content can be as important as the actual content itself. If, when a user is directed to the page, they see huge blocks of text with no other visual cues, it can seem very overwhelming, and I often just click away from these type pages. Make sure you break up the information well. Use heading effectively, and where you can, use images or short lists.
Finding the perfect balance between the use of keywords and key phrases, top quality links and the overall conclusion you want to convey will greatly help the quality of your content. Also, the use of lists and bullet points may be more attractive rather than long daunting paragraphs. An unorganized content will lead to a higher bounce rate, since walls of texts are often overwhelming to a web reader. Keep the tl;dr. acronym in mind whenever you write content. It stands for Too Long; Didn’t read.
Step 5 : Go Against the Current
Initially, finding a fresh topic seems to be incredibly difficult because you’ll come to find that almost everybody is writing about the exact same thing. However, don’t see this as an obstacle. Remember: controversy gains attention, and attention equals traffic. If all the bloggers of the world have all reached a consensus on a certain topic, don’t be afraid to write fresh content on the complete opposite opinion, just to make you stand out. Don’t force it though. If controversy is not your style or your genuine opinion, it’ll show! Find your voice and follow it. Be true to yourself and people will come to appreciate it and respect your point of views.
Don’t fall in the trap of reblogging without adding your own or commenting. That’s what will make your blog your own!