2. If you want to achieve lasting success with your website,
then the best route to take is to build a content-rich site. A
site that has varied and informative articles and
information will be big hit with viewers and search
engines alike. In case you have writer's block or are not
sure how to go about creating more content for your
website. Here are some tips to help you get moving.
3. 1. When building content try to solve the problems of your
viewers without making them buy something
4. Of course you have set up your website in order to either
make money or "get" something out of it, but it is not
productive to build scores of pages with hard-sell
messages. People are coming to the net to find solutions
to their problems. Provide articles, information and
answers to these problems and you will win the respect,
and trust of your readers. This is known as "pre-selling"
and it is just as important as selling itself.
5. So, before you start tapping on your keyboard, keep the
interests of your readers in mind and then begin.
6. 2. Write about what you know and share your knowledge
with your readers
7. If you have set up a website it means that you know
something about your particular field, or have some
special interest in it. For example, suppose you are selling
digital cameras, why not write some articles reviewing the
available cameras that are on the market. Or why not
write an article explaining what people should look for
when they buy a camera. There are a lot of people out
there who don't have the foggiest idea about digital
cameras and they would sure be happy to get some
unbiased information before buying something.
8. 3. Do research and turn dull reports into interesting
articles
9. You can build on what you know by doing a bit of research
on the web. Make a keyword search for "digital cameras"
or whatever your field is, and you will find some web
pages giving information. Often the information is just
listed in a point-wise fashion in bulleted lists. Take this
information, and blend it with your own experience to
create new articles. You can quote or cite the other
articles (with hyperlinks) that you find on the web if they
are particularly useful. In fact this is the original idea
behind Google's system of PageRank: web pages that are
particularly good will earn links or "votes" from other
sites.
10. 4. Let your readers help you to create content
11. If you are not sure what to write about then why not ask
your web visitors to submit their questions. These
questions will stimulate you to provide answers in the
form of articles. A good example of this approach is the
site www.askdavetaylor.com . Dave Taylor is a technical
"geek". If you have any question about computers,
software, html, Mac, linux, unix and related technical
matters you can just go to his site and ask a question.
Dave's answers comprise hundreds, perhaps thousands, of
pages of solid information. In fact, he has 29,300 pages
indexed in Google!
12. You don't have to write hundreds or thousands of pages,
but if you follow Dave's example you can certainly build
up your site, and easily overcome your "writer's block."
14. There is no sense in recreating the wheel. If someone has
already written something good about your particular
field, you can reprint it. You will have to provide a link
back to the author, but if the article really fits in with the
theme of your site, then it is worth it. You can find free
reprint articles at sites such as www.ezinearticles.com and
17. Blogs with their "comments" sections are now one of the
most popular ways of allowing web visitors to add their
thoughts and ideas. You can also set up a bulletin board or
forum using the phpBB software (which is pre-installed
with many hosting plans). If you have enough traffic and
an audience that is passionately interested in the themes
of your website, then your own readers will create pages
and pages of interesting content. You will of course have
to moderate the forums or blogs, but the reward to you in
terms of useful content will be worth it.
18. So, if your site is a bit thin on content, think about these
six tips and take steps towards providing information that
will make your site a place where people can come and
find solutions to their problems or answers to their
questions.