I attended a digital marketing conference last week and one of the main take-aways was that good content is more important than ever in successfully marketing your business.
Good content has always been what sets you apart and delivers your message. But the craft of creating good content on the web has often taken a back seat to the need to produce a lot of content and to be easily found.
One of most powerful advances of the web is the democratization of access to creating and distributing content. Anyone anywhere can share content and engage with content produced by others. This created an explosion of content, and then the challenge of how to stand out.
Search engine ranking, so that your website appears high on a Google search, is one of the main ways to stand out online. As people got more internet-savvy, SEO (search engine optimization) started to take a front seat role in content creation.
But search engines don’t care about the quality of your copy. They just read key words (words that make it possible for people to find your site via search engines) and rank your website.
This led to lots of challenges for writers: Do you write around key words? Or do you write what you want to write, not worry about key words, and sacrifice being found? Do you write your content and try to insert key words later?
You’ve most likely come across websites that are written badly. You may find the same words popping up again and again, and it’s not inviting to read. That’s probably writing for SEO. You feel it when you read something like that. It doesn’t feel like someone is writing to you.
That’s not a good thing. It’s imperative to convey that you care about your readers and you’re offering them helpful information.
So actually you need both – good content that isn’t created solely around key words, but that does take key words into account.
Another factor that’s important to think about in creating content is that our brains are being rewired as we use computers more and more. Now you have to capture your audience in 23 seconds. That’s the average attention span before someone makes a decision to stay with the content or move on.
In the midst of this digital content sea, smart brands are realizing that good writing stands out, and they’re placing more importance than ever on the craft of writing. Marketers aren’t always good writers. So many companies are now hiring professional writers to create their content.
For small business owners, it’s super important to present your business with great content on the web. All of the other parts of your website – design, visuals, videos, etc. – support your content.
The key to a good website is clear, relevant, keyword-rich content that delivers your message with power and conviction. The content on your website should target your audience, engage them, and inspire them to take action.
If you and your team don’t have the time or writing skills to create content that stands out and attracts attention, you might consider hiring a good writer to help you. Your content is king, so it’s worth every cent to make it great.
