A lot has been written and said in Internet marketing circles recently about
importance of “good quality content” to both web site visitors and natural (crawler based) search engines. Many factors go into making up content of your web sites pages but how do you define what is “good” from what is not? In this article we will establish what good content is and how to write content that will appeal to both your web site visitors and search engines.Read any Internet marketing article, forum or tutorial these days and you will find that one thing all experts agree on is that you need to have lots of good quality content on your web site. It sounds like good advice doesn't it? But what precisely does it mean?
Simply put, content is all text copy and graphics on your web site. Good content can be defined as information that your visitors will find helpful and that is relevant to their needs. Good content will also enable search engines to crawl and index your web site under key phrases that your customers are searching on. After all, there’s no point in having a brilliantly written sales message within your web site content if your potential customers never find it!
Good content will mean different things to different businesses and exactly what constitutes "good content" depends largely on goal of your web site and products or services you offer.
Web site content can be loosely divided into following page types: Core Web Site Pages These are mainstay pages of your web site. These are pages that explain who you are and detail products, services and information that is available through your web site. The best place to start with "good content" is making sure these pages are as complete as possible and answer all of a user's potential questions. Typical pages that visitors expect to find on every web site are: ·About Us ·Products and/or Services ·Contact Us If you aren't experienced in writing sales copy, it is worth considering hiring a professional copywriter to write (or rewrite!) text for your web site pages. A well-written page tailors style and voice of your message to appeal to your particular customer type. It can make difference between just getting web site visitors and getting visitors that convert into paying customers.
For more information on writing content for your web site download our guide “Writing Text That Sells”. To read an excerpt click here: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/book_3.html
Make your web site’s core pages your first priority before looking at adding other content. Ensure that they are clean, concise and easy-to-read, complete and informative. Ask yourself questions that your customers may ask, do these pages answer these questions, or at least clearly lead to additional complementary pages that contain answers to these questions?
Complementary Pages Complementary pages are pages that enhance and expand on your core site pages. These are “additional information” pages that are your opportunity to really set yourself apart from your competitors and help you make a sale.
For product sites, you could include independent product reviews, printer-friendly product specification pages, product comparison tables, customer feedback and recommendations and help pages that go exceed customer expectations.
For service sites, these pages might detail your expertise, experience and qualifications, your proven track record, existing customer testimonials, common myths and misconceptions about services you offer, or do-it-yourself tips for situations where a professional is not needed.
Complementary pages can also offer additional information about industry recognition, associated bodies you belong to and awards you may have won. They can include mission statements or even statements of your commitment to customer service, lowest price guarantees, etc. These pages aren't critical to operation of your web site, but their content can help differentiate your site from others in field and establish credibility with your visitors. The object is to give them reasons to choose to do business with you rather than your competitors.
Writing Content for Search Engines It is well known that if you optimise your web sites content well, lion's share of your visitors will come via search engines. We also know that key phrases and links to your site are two things that affect your ranking in search engines. Your key phrases tell search engines what you do, and inbound links tell them how important you are. This combination is what determines your relevance. And relevance is what search engines are after.
