Adding content to your website is not an option if you want your website to work harder for you. However, one of the common frustrations that many business owners face is the ongoing struggle to find and write fresh content. Whenever we bring up the idea of adding blog posts, for example, we get responses like, “We’ve tried it, but nobody around here has the time to write.” Or “I don’t know what to write about.” Here are five ways to find content for your website.
Another common misconception we hear is that “no one will read these posts, so why bother?” While Google Analytics can’t tell us how many people read your ENTIRE post (apart from ‘time spent on site’—an insightful piece of data), there is no debate about the value that a well-researched article can bring to your website.
Here’s the simple truth: People read blog posts, AND Google reads blog posts. And it’s the second point you can’t afford to ignore. Whenever you post an article about a specific topic, product, or service (or even an opinion), you give Google another reason to send people to your website.
“Okay, I get it. Adding content IS important.” Now what?” The core question remains – how are you going to make this happen?
The first thing you need to do is develop ideas for blog posts. This is where Artificial intelligence (AI) can be beneficial. Don’t be afraid to use it for your research.
Here are five ways to help:
#1 – Sit down by yourself or with 2 or 3 people on your team and brainstorm topics. Just write them all down. Don’t write the articles, just the topics. Recall all your rants regarding customer complaints or product refinements and consider turning them into articles. If you’re in the business of solving problems, you probably have enough expertise to keep you writing for a long time.
#2: Expand existing content. Pull up that FAQ page on your website. How many of those questions can be turned into posts? If you can answer those questions in all the detail that each deserves, you may already have 5 to 15 topics. Every question that you answer repeatedly can likely become a great post.
#3: Re-purpose video. If you’ve been using video, either uploading to YouTube or for internal training, consider how transcriptions of every single one could be repurposed into a helpful article. This also works in reverse. If you’ve already written an article, consider pressing play and committing it to video. (by the way, Google loves video.)
#4: Check out competitor websites. We’re not suggesting you steal content. We are simply telling you that those guys over the Evil Empire might be discussing topics you forgot to mention. Check out competitors in distant cities like Cincinnati or Guelph. Chances are somebody is ahead of the pack in this content game. Follow their lead, and add your slant. Be sure to use your voice.
#5: Comment on already published content. This is related to point #4. If you can find authors, journalists, or celebrities sounding off on a subject you have some experience in, use their content as a starting point for your post. Agree. Disagree. It doesn’t matter how you turn the discussion, but using an already successful article as a springboard is often the easiest way to start a new article.
(NOTE: Keyword research is an important element of any SEO content plan. Review your Google Analytics and Google Search Console to discover which keywords work best in your industry. TALK TO US If you’d like help with this task.)
As you can see, your whiteboard should now be full of great ideas for new articles. All you need to do is assign names to each topic, along with a publishing date, and send everybody back to their desks. If you happen to be ‘everybody,’ this may seem like a daunting task, especially if you don’t fancy yourself a writer.
And here’s the part where we tell you that Watershed9 offers content writing packages. Imagine if we could write all those topics you’ve conjured up, and you could get back to what you do best.