Get Your Business Noticed Online with Great Content.... Even if You're Not a Professional Writer

Don’t you always find people telling you that you need great content on your website? Content has been king for a very long time, for a number of reasons… And it doesn’t look like this important marketing factor will be changing any time soon.

The digital age has introduced many technology-based ideas and has set the standard for modern day searching and shopping online. No longer is it necessary to drive to the nearest supermarket to purchase groceries, or take a visit into town to buy new clothes… Businesses are now recognising the importance of their presence online and thus the need to provide a valuable platform to purchase, when potential customers need it.

The Importance of Good Content

The path for content marketers and businesses alike is clear. Great content not only helps to provide interesting information for visitors, it is also critical from an online perspective.

Great content will:

• Boost SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) rankings
• Generate more exposure and higher positions in search results
• Gain traffic/ potential leads through related online searches
• Encourage more valuable visitors to your site
• Keep visitors engaged
• Increase overall website strength

Essentially, the two main things that you need perfectly combined, to be successful online are:

• To initially get traffic to your website
• To have fabulous content that keeps them there

Now, that’s is all well and good for the A* authors and whimsical writers among us, but what happens if you want to pack your website to the brim with motivating, unique content, but you can’t quite get the knack of putting finger to keyboard?

Since there is already an abundance of well-written content online, if you don’t know how to take your content from average to great, you’re ultimately going to keep getting the same results. Evidently, this will result in a waste of time, effort and resources.

How To Create Great Content

1. Be Original

Original, unique, innovative content goes a long way with Google, other search engines and of course your audience! Copying another site or individual’s content will end up with your business getting penalized by Google and can cause damage to your site. Not only can this influence how Google perceives your brand, but could also reduce trust from your customers.

2. Prioritise Quality

It is important to note the ever-advancing ability of search engines, such as Google, to identify good quality websites from spam-filled, keyword-stuffed websites. One of the main goals of the most recent Google update (Hummingbird) is to create content that is valuable to online visitors, rather than cluttered and useless. Following the updates, businesses that engage in good content, combining both quality and quantity, should naturally rank higher in search engines.

3.  Grab Attention with Headlines

A catchy headline will generate interest and invite your readers in. Anyone in the world of writing, for both online and offline content, knows the true value of a captivating title to motivate readers. When faced with a multitude of options along with limited time, it is highly important to introduce a title that will catch your reader’s eyes. An interesting, compelling headline can help to boost lead generation, sales and return on investment by ensuring they are engaged.

4. Use Visual Stimuli

Once you have caught the attention of your visitors, it is even more important to keep them on the page! The use of sub-headings, bullet points, bold text, additional links and images can keep the interest rolling, as well as assist in providing further vital points of interest for your reader.

5. SEO Success

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a highly powerful concept used by content marketers. SEO provides great value in online content, allowing search engines to rank your site for relevant search queries and making it easier for visitors to source the information they require. Relevant, well-selected keywords are a must when it comes to optimised online writing. Relevant keywords should be utilised frequently (but not too frequently) throughout the content and in primary positions such as the title, sub-headings and formatting tags.

6. Drive an Action

Good content advises the reader on the next step to take during their visit to your site. An effective ‘call-to-action’ should provoke an immediate response from the reader, following the stimulating content that they have just read. The goal of this action point is inevitably to spur an enquiry, generate a conversation between customer and business, create a sales lead or to complete a sale. Call-to-actions can include such terms as: ‘Click here to visit us on Facebook’, Call us now to find out more about our promotion’, or ‘Visit our website to take part in the competition’.

There is a great deal of time, effort and resources involved in the difference between average content and great content. At Areca Design, we can help support you with valuable content writing, that combines SEO techniques with online marketing expertise to boost your online presence. For further information on how we can help you, please contact our team today on: 01386 570360, or email us at: designteam@arecadesign.co.uk.