Creating Content and Making it Interesting

This is what keeps us up at night

Why Everybody is Writing Blogs

Creating routine content that engages users typically correlates to higher seo ranking. The goal isn’t to just add new content to your website, but to make that content engaging for your site visitors. This doesn’t necessarily mean blogging, but blogging is a very effective and efficient “organic” method to achieve that favor from the search engine algorithms.

Blogging gives your company a regular voice. A place to disseminate knowledge, make announcements, bring your clients behind the scenes, show how you are on top of what is happening now and share your “vision” for the future. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, because your customers have specific needs and wants, and you want them to see you as an important resource with their interests in mind.

The Importance of Unique Content

More than just adding content to the website, the content should be unique. While this doesn’t mean that every aspect of the blog or piece of copy content needs to be hand crafted, SEO algorithms do favor seeing that content isn’t being duplicated across multiple websites. A good case in point is that while this blog is undoubtedly similar to others about the value of blogging, we are adding uniqueness throughout the piece by highlighting different aspects or using different phrasing to get our point across.

How to create unique content? Start by thinking about why someone might be visiting your site. Topics could come from current events, a referral, or long term and short term needs. Next, think about what you offer. While the product might not be unique, your process, service, combinations, or customization might be! You can also disseminate current information that you have knowledge of for your industry, then tell your readers your take on the topic, how it impacts them, and anything you are doing to take care of them now and in the future.

Build a list of topics you’d like to cover in the coming months, and don’t forget to include the seasonal needs of your readers, or something that might be of interest to them. Major announcements or anniversaries are also great topics which can enable you to highlight the history of the company and include human interest stories not featured anywhere else. This topics list will be a huge help in making the blog easier to create and stay on a consistent schedule.

Building Community through Routine Blogging

While everyone hopes and dreams of becoming the authority on an aspect of their business products/services, that likelihood is pretty low. Instead, you can focus on cultivating your own community of followers by creating content tailored to a particular demographic of your audience. This will allow you to create content with your own style and flair that will also serve to assist SEO ranking, especially if the audience is very receptive to your content. 

Building community takes time. Your site’s visitors can take a while to realize that you are a great resource for them. In the beginning, your best friends are frequency and consistency - emphasis on “right amount” of frequency, and always being consistent! A monthly blog may be just the ticket for some industries, while others require a more active involvement with their audience. Consistency will help set expectations, and improve readership as time goes on.

If your marketing plan includes pushing out your blogs to a mailing list, you might accomplish recognition sooner. If you LISTEN to the needs of your visitors, you will be able to create content that SPEAKS directly to them (or makes them feel that way!).  There is no substitute for building that kind of relationship, and in time it will pay off.  

Another idea would be to invite an expert on certain topics to guest blog on your site (or to interview them FOR your blog). Exchange of ideas, understanding of industry trends or scientific clarity around difficult concepts can all be used to help your visitors (and can impact your SEO rankings through linking relationships). You might also find outlets for you to guest blog as well. It can help raise your own status as an expert in your field, which is one of the most difficult criteria to achieve in SEO.

Who Said Blogging was Easy?

Successful blogging is a lot of work. And your best way to measure its impact is through analytics. The best way to affect the end result, is to start analyzing what people are searching for in your industry before you begin. Study the competition, look at the popular keywords for your site, even ask your mailing list what they would like to see (or what interests them). Knowledge is power. You’ve heard that before, and it matters here as well.  

How you take this information and produce worthy blogs will be your own secret sauce. After all, who knows your business and your customers better than you? It’s time to get creative with your content, and get blogging.