Why Your Content is Killing Your Website
We’ve all heard the saying, “Content is King.” Search engines love to see new content on a website, and so do consumers. A regularly updated website provides engines and visitors with recent news and relevant information. Or so it should. Small businesses in Chatham-Kent have yet to understand that not all content is good content when it comes to executing a successful online marketing strategy. When you’re trying to build credibility with search engines and consumers, your content must reign supreme – here are some tips to help you become King of the Content Castle.
Content Development Tips for Chatham-Kent Businesses
1) Forget everything your high-school English teacher told you
It’s not that I have a thing against high-school teachers (that hockey-loving fiancée of mine is a fine educator), it’s just that the “Hamburger Method” of essay writing simply doesn’t work on the web. In this method, the bun of the burger is your introduction and conclusion, the meat, lettuce, and tomato of your essay are detailed paragraphs that support the thesis introduced in your opening bun. As tasty as this method may be, it does nothing for your readers. Ask any 10th grader and they’ll tell you straight-up – hamburger essays are boring and predictable. If you want your online content to stand out, you’re going to need to hook readers with writing that’s clear, concise, and above all else, engaging.
2) Become a story teller
Storytelling has been an integral part of our culture since the dawn of time. From Homer’s Odyssey, to the recent Twilight phenomenon, people love to read a good story. The same goes for online content. The best blogs use anecdotes – sequences of logical events that build to a final, complete conclusion. Radio personality, Ira Glass, explains this concept with amazing clarity in this video. If you want to become an expert in your field, you need to know how to transform your ideas into stories.
3) Be true to yourself
The content that I post to the CIK Marketing site is written in a certain voice – mine. You could read a million other blogs but you’d never find one that’s written in quite the same way. Having an authentic voice behind your content is imperative – that personal touch is what will help you connect with readers and build a loyal following. Sure, there are people out there that don’t appreciate my writing style, and yes, I could change my approach in order to appeal to those readers. But doing so would make me inauthentic, and that’s not something I’m willing to do.
4) If nothing else, provide meaning
Before you publish your next blog post or news blast on your Chatham-Kent website, stop for a minute and ask yourself, “is this content adding value to my website?” Good content answers questions, stimulates conversation, and provides meaning. If you aren’t saying something that’s relevant and useless, why bother talking?
Strong content can help cement your website as an expert resource in Chatham-Kent. Contact CIK Marketing to learn how our content development services can benefit your business.
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Nice, to the point elements. I really like this. I’ve been working on the tone of my posts for some time now and they do bring in something different and interesting to the content and the general ambience of the blog.