When starting an internet business you only get one opportunity to make a great first impression! So, what will make a great impression when someone lands on your site? Is it the pretty pictures or the flashing images? Well, it may make them hesitate for a couple of seconds, but will it make them stay, and even more importantly will it make them return? It won't! What will make them stay and view your site, and then come back time and time again is the quality of the content. If you continuously produce good content then you are producing something of value. But the important word in that sentence is "continuously" which means that you need to update and add quality information on a continuous basis. So, what are my 7 tips today for great content?
Make it interesting to read. Sounds obvious but does not always happen. Don't just drone on with dry facts and statistics - I am not condemning statistics in any shape or form, but make the statistics informative. Be conversational in your approach - you are not producing some dry thesis, you are engaging in a conversation.
Make it relevant and helpful. Keep to your topic and don't wander all over the place. A good question to ask is - is the point I am now making relevant to the objective of the content? If the answer is no, then rethink including it. It should also be helpful to the reader, so that they can take some action as a result of what you have written. A good question to ask yourself is - what will the reader do differently as a result of reading this piece?
Present it in short and manageable chunks. This is relevant whether you are writing an article or a book! Any successful author will tell you that if you do not present your information or story in short manageable chunks, then you will lose your audience. No need to say more!
Be careful using images. There is nothing wrong with images but be conscious that many times there are problems when uploading a piece that has images. Try as much as you can to keep it simple - a wonderfully all singing and dancing flashing image may look great, but if it prevents it from being uploaded on to someone's computer then its value is diminished. Just keep it in mind!
Use words people will search with. You want your piece to be found, so you need to be conscious of what will be typed into the search engines that will direct the search engine to present your information. This is going back to your keyword research which is critical. Anyone starting an internet business without investing in time and effort doing their keyword research will find a lot of their work is in vain and they will wonder why they are not generating any traffic. Can be tedious, but avoid at your peril!
Check it, check it, check it! You have not finished until you have checked it a number of times - and I don't mean just spell check, although that is very important. If you quoted statistics, then double check. If you include graphs or images, then double check that they will work when reproduced on someone's laptop. Check that it flows and is presented in a logical manner. A golden rule to follow is what I said earlier - it is not finished until you have checked it 3 times minimum.
Research for new content. Always be on the lookout for new, relevant content. People often find this so difficult, but it isn't. There are tons of places where good information is available that will help you produce great content. Just go into Google Alerts or Google Trends and there you will find a ton of great content. I find Google Alerts fantastic - you just have to tell them what you are interested in and they will send you latest news bits on a daily basis. Social media is also a great place to see what people are talking about and what they are interested in. You can also find forums where people ask and answer questions of interest and where you can find really topical issues being debated. So, no excuse for not finding content. All it takes is a little bit of effort and choosing a number of key resources for you. Do not overload yourself - select a number of resources that are relevant and helpful. If you broaden your reach too far you will waste an enormous amount of time, which is one of the big challenges on the internet.
These are my 7 tips for today about producing great content. It is something that is easily overlooked for anyone starting an internet business because so often the focus is on the products I will sell and how it all looks. I am not diminishing either of those elements, but look at it from the readers' point of view - why will they stay on your site and, more importantly, why will they come back? They will come back if what you are giving them is helpful and relevant information!
Please leave your comments, and let's add to this list!
Make it interesting to read. Sounds obvious but does not always happen. Don't just drone on with dry facts and statistics - I am not condemning statistics in any shape or form, but make the statistics informative. Be conversational in your approach - you are not producing some dry thesis, you are engaging in a conversation.
Make it relevant and helpful. Keep to your topic and don't wander all over the place. A good question to ask is - is the point I am now making relevant to the objective of the content? If the answer is no, then rethink including it. It should also be helpful to the reader, so that they can take some action as a result of what you have written. A good question to ask yourself is - what will the reader do differently as a result of reading this piece?
Present it in short and manageable chunks. This is relevant whether you are writing an article or a book! Any successful author will tell you that if you do not present your information or story in short manageable chunks, then you will lose your audience. No need to say more!
Be careful using images. There is nothing wrong with images but be conscious that many times there are problems when uploading a piece that has images. Try as much as you can to keep it simple - a wonderfully all singing and dancing flashing image may look great, but if it prevents it from being uploaded on to someone's computer then its value is diminished. Just keep it in mind!
Use words people will search with. You want your piece to be found, so you need to be conscious of what will be typed into the search engines that will direct the search engine to present your information. This is going back to your keyword research which is critical. Anyone starting an internet business without investing in time and effort doing their keyword research will find a lot of their work is in vain and they will wonder why they are not generating any traffic. Can be tedious, but avoid at your peril!
Check it, check it, check it! You have not finished until you have checked it a number of times - and I don't mean just spell check, although that is very important. If you quoted statistics, then double check. If you include graphs or images, then double check that they will work when reproduced on someone's laptop. Check that it flows and is presented in a logical manner. A golden rule to follow is what I said earlier - it is not finished until you have checked it 3 times minimum.
Research for new content. Always be on the lookout for new, relevant content. People often find this so difficult, but it isn't. There are tons of places where good information is available that will help you produce great content. Just go into Google Alerts or Google Trends and there you will find a ton of great content. I find Google Alerts fantastic - you just have to tell them what you are interested in and they will send you latest news bits on a daily basis. Social media is also a great place to see what people are talking about and what they are interested in. You can also find forums where people ask and answer questions of interest and where you can find really topical issues being debated. So, no excuse for not finding content. All it takes is a little bit of effort and choosing a number of key resources for you. Do not overload yourself - select a number of resources that are relevant and helpful. If you broaden your reach too far you will waste an enormous amount of time, which is one of the big challenges on the internet.
These are my 7 tips for today about producing great content. It is something that is easily overlooked for anyone starting an internet business because so often the focus is on the products I will sell and how it all looks. I am not diminishing either of those elements, but look at it from the readers' point of view - why will they stay on your site and, more importantly, why will they come back? They will come back if what you are giving them is helpful and relevant information!
Please leave your comments, and let's add to this list!