Websites are like investments, the more you put in the more it will give back to you down the road. Investing in content yields high returns. Great content turns your boring brochure website into an exciting center of information. Companies with such websites grow. They see their investment in content result in more visitors and increased sales. To succeed, your website should become the ultimate content center of your industry.
There are many ways content can double the value of your website. Here are five to get you started:
1. Value
Most websites have little or no valuable content. Often, the little content there is has been outdated years ago. The press release from two years ago, and the article from last year is not what we mean by great content. Great content is fresh. If your website is treated like a brochure, you have old and outdated content. Would you rather read today’s news or the news from three years ago?
Great websites are full of unique content. Your prospects are online searching for solutions. They have questions. They have problems that keep them up at night. Websites that can address all that are on the right track.
Websites that succeed are full of content people want to see. If you are a web designer, you could have a ton of content about educating people about websites. What do people want to know about websites? They want to know how much they cost; how to hire a web designer; what makes websites successful; how to market websites; etc.
2. Update
Most websites are outdated. Your outdated website broadcasts to the world that you don’t really care. Your site is a form of lip service. You stopped caring about it, you gave up. When I see an outdated website I think to myself: “Are these people still in business?” Don’t create that kind of first impression.
Websites that are frequently updated tell me that there are new and exciting things are happening with your company. It tells me that you have new ideas, services, or products I should know about.Cover everything that is eventful about your business. Some of the best websites update multiple times a day. You may not be able to do that, but it is unacceptable to go for months without updates. An updated website means more new and returning visitors.
3. Expert
Your website can position you as the go-to expert in your field. A website that is a constant source of information will position you as an authority. People want to by from experts, they don’t want to buy from sales people. Once you become an expert you are no longer selling. You are an expert with solutions. You are providing advice, you write articles or white papers. You make videos, and publish podcasts. Use your website as your tool to position you as the expert in your field.
4. SEO
Face it, a website without SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has little value. SEO is one of the most misunderstood aspects of marketing your website. Some think that the secret is stuffing keywords throughout your site. Others think buying links is the answer. The reality is that SEO is all about content and promoting your content.
Websites with poor content are dead to search engines. When a search engine sees that you are not updating your website it degrades it. You want the search engines on your side, if you are going to succeed. The blog posts you publish, the articles you write, the white papers you create should all include relevant keywords. But, don’t confuse that with keyword stuffing.
5. Easy
The key to great content is a website that is easy to update. Your business should have a website built on a CMS (Content Management System). Some of the best CMS platforms are WordPress and Drupal. Websites built on CMS technology make updating as easy as editing a text document. A website that allows you to make quick and easy updates result in sites with more updated content. Your CMS website will help you double its value.