Content is King

Content is King

It's been said a thousand times... make it a thousand and one: content is king; but what exactly comprises "great content"?

1. Originality

Unless your site is called Yahoo!, it's probably a safe bet that you won't do much in the way of return visits if your page consists of "Links to Sites I Think are Kewl!!!" and little else. You've got something no one else has... *your* opinion, *your* viewpoint, *your* advice, *your* product, etc.

Have you ever visited a site and things "just clicked"? Maybe you had heard something explained in several different ways, but it just didn't sink in until you heard it explained in a particular manner. You may be the person who can "make it click" for someone. Why recycle the same old, tired clichés and content when you have the chance to give visitors something unique and original?

2. Easily understood information

This would seem to have a very high "Duh!" factor, but this concept is frequently disregarded. Just because you're an expert on existentialist writers of the 19th and 20th centuries and you spend your spare time calculating the escape velocity required for given objects to break free from the gravitational pull of the Earth, doesn't mean your visitors will necessarily be so well versed in those areas.

There is a reason that the "For Dummies"(r) series of books is so popular; a basic, straightforward way of addressing things is very beneficial at times.

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying you should insult the intelligence of your visitors. "Kids, today we're going to learn about web site pro-mo-tion! Can you say promotion?" probably isn't the best way to address an audience you're aspiring to keep.

On the other hand, don't write so far above everyone's head that only a few visitors can glean the esoteric knowledge contained within your site.

3. Check spelling and grammar

This is an all too common misteak... (I meant to do that - really). No matter how great the information you provide is, spelling and grammatical errors mar an otherwise professional image. I don't know about you, but I tend to distrust a company with these kind of errors on their site.

Before you start thinking that I've spent a little too much time studying conspiracy theories, consider this: Do you think a large, prestigious, professional company would allow a blunder like this on their site: "Yuo can trust us with you're envestmint"?

A fairly effective way to remedy this is to spell check your pages before publishing them. Bear in mind though, this isn't a panacea. Spell check won't tell you when "your" should've been used instead of "you're"; make sure you proofread your pages at least once or twice before publishing them. Although I have found that many visitors are more than happy to provide this service for you free of charge and will send you a lovely personalized email (Subject: You are a Complete and Total Idiot!!) to inform you of any gaffe you might have inadvertently committed.

4. Be yourself

While it is important to follow the rules of spelling and grammar, your goal isn't to impress everyone with how well you write. You want to create interest - capture and hold visitors' attention. I've found that one of the best ways of doing so is to develop your own style.

When I first started writing about designing and promoting web sites, I felt as though no one would be interested in the articles unless they were meticulously researched and documented and written well enough to win a Pulitzer. I struggled and struggled to write that "perfect" article and I just couldn't do it (At this point, you're probably thinking, "You're telling me, sister!").

What I could do, however, is write using my own style and many editors thought that the articles were good enough to share with their subscribers. You can do this too; you've just got to find your "voice". An example of this that immediately comes to mind is Jim Daniels of BizWeb 2000. Jim has a very unique style - it's almost as if he's talking to you, personally. It's very effective and he's been wonderfully successful in providing help to web site owners.

Of course we've only scratched the surface of how the content of your site can be improved, but hopefully this will give you the "push" you need to begin the process of refining your own content.

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