There was a time when from an SEO point of view the world was about producing pages and pages of content, this didn’t necessarily have to read well. Oh how times have changed.

You will no doubt be aware of the massive changes in the way that Google decides which websites appear where in the search results, part of this change is around content. This includes:

• Content pages on your website
• Images used
• Blog posts
• Articles
• Information posted on social networking sites
• Articles posted on articles sites
• Social Bookmarking
• Social Blogging
• Guest Blogs
• Press Releases

It’s a long list I grant you but a very important one. For most businesses now the best way to get visibility online is to create really good content on a frequent basis and share it in as many different ways as possible. For example, lets take a tennis shop they may have a content page on the different types of tennis rackets available. They could then write a blog post on Wimbledon and which stars are using which kind of tennis rackets. They could then not only share both of these pages via social methods but continue to reference them in future articles. This will also help you to build links back to your website which is also vitally important.

Long gone are the days where you could write one piece of information, spin it 100 times and then post all 100 versions. This doesn’t mean you can’t use tools to spin, it just means that you need to re-write everything to make sure that it makes sense and isn’t isn’t going to cause you problems with duplicate copy.

I personally would always advocate writing a really good piece of content and then writing related pieces that you can then link together and then share with the world.

If you are unsure where to start, we do offer a copywriting service or if you just need some advice on where to begin then please contact us and we will be happy to help.

In amongst yesterday’s mail I received one of those local free magazines which deserved to go straight into the recycling bin. Why? Firstly, it was 90% advertisements and very little actual content and, secondly, the content that it did contain was so badly written that it made me cringe. I showed my primary school age children some examples and even they were amazed at the poor quality.

It wasn’t just that the topics chosen were uninteresting, but the grammar and punctuation were so abysmal as to make the stories almost unintelligible. There was also a lot of repetition and very little actual information given. It was quite obvious that providing content was very low on the list of priorities for this magazine and all they were interested in was cramming as many paid advertisements in as possible.

Of course once advertisers realise that the magazine is usually thrown away before ever being read by anyone they’re not going to be renewing and this publication will join the many others that have died out shortly after they first started.

Unfortunately the same thing is happening on the web. So many websites are guilty of just being full of advertisements or sales messages or creating pages and pages of poor quality content that no one would ever actually want to read. It’s the same type of throwaway content as that contained in the junk magazines that get posted in our letterboxes and it’s going to be just as ineffective in the long run.

If companies are going to go to the trouble of putting up a website to attract leads, it makes sense to provide something of value. Think about what your potential customers might actually want to read about or how you can solve a problem for them and then take the time to write something useful.

Google is also getting better at weeding out poor content websites from its search results, so if you want to be found online you need to stop looking for short cuts and start providing what both the search engines and those using them are actually looking for. If writing isn’t your forte then there’s nothing wrong with paying someone else to do it for you, but make sure you choose a service that will provide good quality content rather than outsourcing to cheap writing services.

Please check your spelling and grammar too, or get someone else to do it for you. Poorly written content (even if it is valuable and interesting) reflects badly on your business, making it appear less professional.  Whether you like it or not, bad grammar and spelling can come across as sloppy and unintelligent and that’s the last impression you want to create.  Proofreading and editing what you’ve written doesn’t take much time and is always worthwhile.

Here’s a basic checklist for when you’re creating content:

• Is it relevant to your business industry?
• Is it useful, entertaining or interesting to visitors?
• Has it been proofread for spelling and grammar errors?

There is already far too much junk on the Internet. Create content worth keeping and you’ll already stand out from a lot of other websites out there. It’s an essential part of any effective online marketing strategy.

I blogged recently about creating quality content. Once you’ve gone to the trouble of creating great content, that people actually want to read, it makes sense to get the most out of it, so here are some suggestions for how to do that.

Syndicate your content

It seems obvious, but it’s surprising how often it gets forgotten in the rush to move onto the next item on your to do list. Whether it’s a blog post or a new page on your website make sure you share it with as many different people as possible. Tools like NetworkedBlogs make this easier by automatically sending your blog posts out to your Twitter and Facebook feeds and save you having to remember.

Social bookmarking is another good way to get your content out there. Sites like Delicious, Digg and StumbleUpon are all useful, as well as niche bookmarking sites that relate to your industry. Just make sure you follow the guidelines and don’t only bookmark your own content.

If you write an email newsletter then you can also use this to point subscribers towards content that they might find useful too.

Make it easy for others to share

Getting others to share your content is even more effective than doing it yourself as it will then be read by people out of your network too. Hopefully you’ve already got social media buttons added to each of your web pages and blog posts to make it easy for others to share them on their favourite social networking sites. An occasional little nudge or reminder asking people to share a particular article if they find it useful won’t do any harm either.

Internal linking

If you’re referring to a topic already covered in a previous blog post or on another website page then link directly to it to make it easy for people to find other relevant content. Internal linking is important within your website and blog and helps both search engines and readers to find more of your content.

Recycle content

If you’ve written a good article or blog post it won’t take you long to rewrite it (to avoid duplicate content which the search engines frown on) so that it’s suitable for use on another website or blog. Writing guest posts on another blog or articles for another website is a great way to get more exposure for your own website as well as a link back. Using existing content and rewriting it saves you from having to come up with another idea or having do any additional research for a brand new article.

Do you know of any other great ways to get the most out of your content? Please add a comment to share your suggestions.

There was a time when creating plenty of content was enough to get you noticed, but this is no longer the case. Too many sites have been filled up with content that is low quality and the majority of articles submitted to article directories are even worse. Most of us have come across pages that make no sense and while they may give us a laugh or two, they usually just irritate us and we move on as quickly as we can.

The search engines have caught on to this and are developing algorithms to help weed out the rubbish. Google launched their “Farmer Update” early last year, which was an algorithm that focused on rewarding high quality content sites while low quality sites started to be devalued, and there have several more updates since.

If you’re still outsourcing your content to cheap article writing sites you probably need to rethink your strategy, and quickly. Your content should show that you are an expert in your field, so just think what churning out rubbish says to readers about you and your business!

Here are some tips for creating good quality content:

• Write about what you know but ensure it’s also something your visitors will be interested in reading about (and hopefully share with others).
• Think about writing content that solves a problem for customers, gives them useful advice or shows them how to do something and avoid just blowing your own trumpet.
• Spice up your content with images, video, etc and avoid overly lengthy pages of solid text.
• Encourage interaction by asking questions, creating polls or holding contests.
• Show that there is a human face behind your business by letting a bit of your personality show through.
• If you outsource any of your writing make sure that the writer understands your business and give them ideas of the sort of content your potential customers would be interested in. Don’t expect quality writing if you’re paying peanuts.

At the end of the day writing content takes time regardless, so you may as well spend that time productively by creating content worth reading!

Do you have any other tips for creating good quality content? I’d love it if you’d share them with us in the comments below.

Things tend to quieten down for a lot of businesses during the Easter break and so this is a good time to review your website. I bang on about the importance of content in terms of SEO I know, but it makes such a difference not only in terms of your rankings but also about keeping your visitors interested. Here are some ideas of how you can keep your website up to date: