Every single business, regardless of size, can benefit from content marketing. Whether you choose to write your own content or hire an external company to do so for you, certain features will help you stand out from the crowd. In the world of copywriting, it is not enough to simply create content; the content must meet several requirements so it not only appears on search engine results, but also engages your readers and keeps them coming back to your page again and again. The following rules will help create quality content and increase your page’s readership.
Create Quality Content with a Clear Message
No matter the length of your post, be sure that the main point of it comes across within the first few sentences. This is key, as many readers will go through multiple websites in a short period of time. In order to do so, they quickly skim the first paragraph and possibly the subheadings. If the article doesn’t apply to their needs or the content is unclear at a glance, they will simply move on. Therefore, to create quality content, you must create a clear message and topic right from the beginning.
Use Headlines to Create Quality Content
When readers skim an article to determine whether it is worth their time, they tend to read the beginning as well as the headlines and subheadings, as mentioned above. This means that you need to make every one of your headlines count. They should convey the main point that will be described within that section and hopefully entice your website’s visitors to read more.
Be Original, and Quality Content Will Follow
Although it may seem obvious that your content should be original, it bears mentioning. While simply copying and pasting content from another website is illegal and violates copyright laws in many cases, it will also lower your search results. Even simply rewriting the content from another page will not help you create quality content. Instead, your readers will get the vague feeling that they have read your post before. When, on the other hand, you create new content, your readers will be interested in what you have to say, as they will not have seen it before. They will start to turn to you for new ideas, increasing return visits and profits.
Quality Content Provides Something to the Reader
Going along with creating quality content is the need to write something that is useful to your readers. In almost every case, new, unique content will be truly valuable, making this point go hand in hand with the previous one. Make sure that you not only educate your readers, but you also give them a means to apply the advice.
Create Content with an Engaging Tone
In addition to ensuring that readers find your post useful, you also want them to feel a connection to your website and the writer. Create quality content that is engaging; this means that in addition to being relevant, it should also be accessible and human. Pull the reader in and help them feel as if they are actually having a conversation with you. They will be more likely to continue reading and to visit your website again in the future.
Less Is Sometimes More When Creating Quality Content
It is true that search engines will only pick up articles of a certain length, but this number is only a few hundred words. In other words, to create quality content, avoid focusing on quantity. Longer pieces can be effective, but only if every single thought is new. If you have run out of things to say on a subject and are only at 600 words despite wanting to write 1,000, stop. Readers will be much more interested in reading a short post that tells them everything they need to know as opposed to a longer one that repeats itself.
All Quality Content Has a Call to Action
Although one of your goals when creating quality content is to draw in readers who visit your website, you also want them to purchase your product or service. To help achieve this goal, don’t forget to include a call to action at the end of the article or post. Tell them how they can use the new knowledge they gained from the blog and consider including a relevant internal link to another area of your website.
You Can’t Create Quality Content without Proofreading
Depending on the length of your content, you may feel like simply skipping the process of proofreading it. You may figure that spelling and grammar checks would have caught any mistakes or simply trust your copywriter to have done a good job. Keep in mind that even professional copywriters will occasionally make mistakes, and spelling and grammar checks can miss things. Therefore, when creating quality content, you should always give it a final proofread before posting it. Ideally, have more than one person read it, as it is always harder for the original writer to catch errors.
Use Media to Create Quality Content
A great thing about the Internet is the ability to include media within your content. Always place at least one image within the content to break it up and add a focal point. When you select the correct image, it will also help draw in potential readers. Most people find a combination of text, images, and videos to be the most engaging, so consider creating relevant videos to include when creating content.
Promoting the Content After Creation
With all of the competition on the Internet, it is not enough to simply create quality content for your blog or website and hope for the best. For the post to be seen, you need to promote it, and you should ideally do so via multiple methods. Use social media to your advantage, and don’t forget to send updates to your email list. When sharing your content, include a brief blurb that gets the reader’s interest; it should tell them what the post is about and why it matters to them.