Quality Content Keeps Clients
Since websites are an essential component in the success of any business today, it’s naturally important that you put the best website out there that you can. After all, since an increasing number of companies have woken up to the value of an excellent website, it’s no longer enough to simply have a website. Now the thing has to be GOOD, so as to distinguish it from the wannabes.
That bit of news should come as no surprise. After all, search engine algorithms are keyed now to favor original content, and the average website visitor has so many choices for reading material and a shortened attention span, that it’s a case of “adapt or die” for any business that wants to succeed at e-commerce and Internet marketing.
Let’s take a look at what constitutes quality content.
How To Tell If The Content Is Good
Good content is fresh, original content that entertains and informs as many readers as possible (you’ll never please EVERYONE, but if you get the majority, you’re on the right track!). Again, let’s bring up that short attention span tendency; you need to have something that people actually want to spend a little time reading.
Good content should engage the reader, make them laugh or think, or both! It’s timely, without coming across as dated.
The article “Beyond Lead Generation: Content is the Key to Keeping Your Customers” cites a UK survey that concludes that customers see a link between good content and products of quality, while conversely, they associate crap content with inferior products. It makes sense, if you think about it; after all, as the old saying goes, “Like attracts like”.
Good Content Elevates Your Public Image
If your content is meaningful and interesting, it helps foster the impression that you and your business are experts in the field. This breeds confidence in the reader and makes them more favorably disposed towards you.
Consider the uncertainty of dealing with someone that you know little to nothing about. In most cases, people are reluctant to take a chance on an unknown quantity. They want to deal with entities that have a good reputation, trustworthy, and who know what they’re talking about. That’s where instructive, authoritative content comes in, provided it’s not presented in a dry, lifeless manner.
As an extra bonus, you should know that if you create in-depth articles, Google will love you. These articles get special treatment by being placed in a box to the right of the search results, grouped in with other materials that are similarly authoritative. Such articles must be over 2,000 words long, be of the highest possible quality, and have no promotional elements of any kind.
Speaking of Google …
Good Content Improves Your Search Page Results Rank
Google’s algorithms are set up so that inferior and duplicate content is pushed far down the search results page while, conversely, good original content rises in the ranks. For why this matters, consider what happens when the average person does a search. They may end up paying attention to the first half-dozen search results that come up, and not bother scrolling further down the page.
That’s why it’s so important to have quality content; it naturally increases visibility. Granted, good content is but one element of Search Engine Optimization, but that’s a story for another time. Suffice to say, search engines and the people who use them all appreciate solid content.
Customer Enthusiasm Increases As Well
The trick of writing good promotional content is to make the reader feel so engaged and interested that they aren’t even aware that while they’re reading they’re being encouraged to buy something. After all, there are commercials on television that are so entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny that you can forget that it’s a commercial.
But do you know what happens in the case of those commercials? People remember the company and the product. By generating good content, people get excited about what you have to offer, and they won’t forget your company; in fact, they’ll keep coming back to your website to see what’s new! That’s when you know that you’ve succeeded.
Good content is just another aspect of good marketing online. If you want some more information on Internet marketing, check out “How Are Websites Used As A Marketing Tool?”.
About Author: John Terra has been a freelance writer since 1985. He’s been involved in writing for websites since 1999.
