Content Writing 101
If you're new to business, you may be new to the concept of writing good content. If you're new to writing good content for yourself or even for other people, you may suscepitble to saying or believing some of the things that I've heard even recently from people who think they know what they're doing. So, in this post I'm going to tell you about some of the things that sound true about writing content that aren't. Even if you're just looking to hire a writer, these are things that you need to know.
You Don't Need to Write Content
You might hear this (or think this) because you may have a good local client base and you think that your site will automatically be a hit. You might think that the industry that you're in is boring to the average person and they won't want to read your content. Both of those misguided beliefs are very dangerous to your business.
If you have a great local client base, congratulations! That doesn't guarantee that you'll grow your business when you put it online. If you want to grow your site and improve your organic ranking (meaning that you're ranking without paying for an ad), you need good written content. Your choices are to come up with some article type ideas (or blog posts) on your own and write them or hire a professional.
If you believe that your particular industry is boring and people won't to read what you have to say, then I have to ask you why you're in business. Obviously, what you offer or what you plan to offer, be it a good or a service, is something that people need. So, if it is a need (or even a want), there's also a need for information about it. This information can be how-to, infographic, and close to anything you want. If what you offer is more directed toward businesses, you can talk about industry related changes.
Anyone Can Write Content
Well, sure...anyone that's literate and that has the attention span to throw together a few hundred to a few thousand words can technically write content. If you had gangrene in your arm, you could cut it off on your own, too. That doesn't mean you know what you're doing.
Now, with that said...I do advocate that people at least try to write some of their own content. Why? Well, if nothing else you'll develop an appreciation of the process that goes into it. If you decide that you don't have the time or the talent to write it, you can hire someone. Just keep in mind that it's still your content. Make sure you like your content. Don't be afraid to ask for an edit. Don't be afraid to give subjects for your content or even entire titles.
Of course, not just any writer can write good web content. I think they can with a little practice. Writing content has a lot of considerations that I'll tell you about in a later post. You have to find the right subject. You must write something that people want to read. You must know where to share it (this isn't the responsibility of the writer unless you are paying the writer to share that work). If you're looking to rank, you must consider the keywords that you want to use. You must also consider the words used in the content; the words must be right for your audience. The words mustn't make your readers feel stupid. Yet, the words mustn't make your readers feel as if you're patronizing them, either. Your overall goal is to be the expert next door.
If It Doesn't Go Viral Now, It's Worthless
Wrong. I like viral as much as the next person. What you really have to watch out for when you're aiming for viral is to make sure that it's not information that will soon become outdated. Viral is great because it brings in traffic. Is it qualified traffic? Not always.
Instead of judging a piece of content based on whether it goes viral, I challenge you to look at it as providing quality information for your prospects and your clients. You are using content to build your reputation as the go-to person in your industry. It also helps you refine your entire message.
Keywords
I actually heard this from a marketing company. Yes, it really was a face palm moment. Keywords aren't the end all, be all. Quality content will always be Internet royalty. However, keywords are a good way to get your written content ranked. You want to look for short keywords and longtail keywords. You want to know the competition for those words. You also want to know how those words currently relate to what's going on in your industry.
Again, keywords affect your organic ranking. You don't have to pay to get a good ranking (although buying an ad through your search engine of choice is your option; and there's nothing wrong with purchasing an ad).
Quality Links
When you're writing content, include quality links. So, what's quality? Well, think about the sites you trust. You trust those sites because they give you quality information. I usually choose two or three words and link those to the quality source. I choose to open my links in a new window (although I have clients that prefer, when linking to their own content, to not do that). I want to keep people on my site.
If you quote someone or if you say something specific about the quality link you're using, shoot that site an email and let them know. Who doesn't love to be used in good work? You might get lucky...they might share out your content since they're mentioned.
Quantity
This is another face palm moment for me. I do agree that websites need fresh content. It's valuable. However, if you're going for quantity over quality, that's not a good thing. Make sure that the content you put out is high quality. Double check the writing and make sure that you (or the writer) aren't keyword stuffing. Make sure it's something that you would want to read.
Final Thoughts
Visit sites that are related to what you do. Check out their content. First, it gives you a good idea about what others in your industry are doing. It can also give you ideas on what you can put together as content. Finally, realize that content writing is a process. I could get five visits to this post today, and there may be a day in the future where I get more than 100 visits in a single day. The point is that this post exists to provide information and to show prospects and clients that I am someone that they can go to with their questions or needs...and that's your goal with your writing, too!
