Content
Content
I have learned through life that if you want to get something, you will have to give something. That brings me to the next subject of website content. What is content? I define it as the material a visitor or potential customer is looking for on the web. When building an internet business, most tend to concentrate on the money they will make. While that is the main focus of any business, one must realize that work must be done before pay can be received in most cases. Just think about working a job. Does the boss pay you before you’ve done any work? I’ve worked jobs for a week or even a month before I ever saw my first pay check. The same concept works here. You have to CONCENTRATE ON GIVING visitors what they are looking for and building trust with them on your site before they will consider giving you money for a product or service. This process begins with the quality of the content you offer on your site.
H.E.A.R.T. quality
Through research I have acquired this acronym to give you some guidelines for good quality content: ( H.E.A.R.T.) all of your content should be honest, exclusive, accurate, relevant and timely. Make sure you don’t rule out creating different types of content either. For example; interviews, questions and answers, product reviews, how - to articles, etc. Keeping a well-balanced mixture of content will keep the work more interesting for you and your site more interesting to visitors. Also don’t forget what the internet has to offer over newspaper and magazine media, which can only offer written content and photographs. A modern website can now add audio and video to its list of advantages.
Keeping your content up to date
Like I stated earlier, visitors want to find something fresh and new whenever they log on to your site and that means constant content updating. Many website owners fail to succeed in their internet business because they don’t know how to provide enough content to compete with other websites. That brings me to the topic of content sources. If you are truly passionate about the subject you have chosen I don’t have any doubt that you have content material all around you already. If you have written any notes or books on the subject these could be published again on line. If you have done any research or have general knowledge about the subject and know where to find information on it, these can all be sources for content. Let guest provide content on your site in exchange for publicity and recognition. This will make your work easier and leave you free to produce future content. Another content source is news feeds which can provide constant up to date material about your subject and provide you with a never-ending list of stories. Product reports from other companies are also an acceptable content form and it is welcomed because of the capability to improve sales. I interpret this as „One hand washing the other."
Remember to always check what type of content is being put on your site so that you can ensure quality standards are being upheld. Maintain editorial rights on all sources so that the quality standard of your site must not be questioned. Content planning is a key factor in your success in this area. Plan out how much content you will need for a specific amount of time and prepare this content for your next content update. Keep track of all of the content you have already published so you won’t end up putting out the same material over and over again on accident.When ever time allows you should always be preparing for the next content update.Carry a note pad with you and write down ideas as they come to you for future content.
SupportContent
Another kind of content that should be prepared before you launch your website is support content. Support content is information about the owner/s, the site, and what the site offers to a visitor. These issues are usually covered in the about us page and in the privacy policy. These pages are seldom clicked but at the same time very important. These are the pages which build the golden trust you need with potential customers, investors, marketing partners or even potential buyers. The way you build trust is by letting the reader know that you are also a human being with goals and ambitions. Let them understand why you do what you do and how your site can be of service to them.
Another important are of support content is the contact us page. Visitors should be able to get in touch with you on many different levels. Why? Because visitors especially the first ones, will spot problems and offer ideas for improvement. A contact page will allow bloggers, potential marketing partners, customers and investors to interact with you.