25 Ways to Add Quality Content to Your Website

We have long known that the quality of a website plays a key role in Google. Senior Google engineer Matt Cutts has repeatedly mentioned in his blog that "quality" is crucial to Google, whether it's content or connections.

However, creating content and connections doesn't have to be a painful process. Website builders are starting to consider how to organize content from certain perspectives. So, let's open up our creative minds and think about all these ways to add quality content to websites.

Please keep the following points in mind:

You're only limited by your own ideas and your website. Try exploring in a completely different direction.

Your website content should be written for your customers, not for you. Website content is also not written for search engines; they are not your target audience.

Imagine your website as a complete painting, a living, breathing whole. It will continue to grow, rather than stagnate.

Now we get to the main point: quality content for the target audience.

1. Event calendar. For real estate websites, it can be used to display new house listings; for online bookstores, it can introduce book signing events, author meet-and-greets, etc.; for collection websites, it can introduce recent gathering activities... Ensure visitors can add their own events to the calendar.

2. Maps. Consider building a map for real estate websites, hunting/fishing websites, camping websites, hotels, or any other outdoor recreation websites. Add content at the bottom of the map to describe it and explain its purpose.

3. Pre-sale/Post-sale experiences. If your customers can write a short piece about the products or services you offer, or discuss the benefits of your product/service, that would be great. You can place them on your website as proof of success.

4. Pictures from customers. You can set up a special place for existing customers so they can post their own pictures and logs, etc., on your website. This method suits vacation websites, leisure websites, marriage websites, baby websites, photography studios, etc. Think about what to do on a Halloween website? What about a flower website?

5. Online coloring pages. Let your imagination run wild. If you make some vacation items into coloring pages, kids can color them before the trip and post them in their exclusive online section. After the trip, their parents can post vacation pictures and logs. This way, a vacation memorial "website" (actually entirely built on your site) becomes the hallmark of your vacation website. How will they use this "site"? They'll tell friends, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. They'll create links to this "site" elsewhere. You can use this hallmark as a unique core selling point to compete with rivals. You will gain backlinks from past customers and future customer visits. You will gain an advantage. If the site can feature children's articles, you can think of many ways to add coloring pages or similar creative activities for children.

6. Blogs or forums certainly add new content to the website.

7. Articles or new pages that interest your target audience. Write new content regularly - your goal should be 1-2 pieces per week.

8. Expert Q&A on the homepage. Hire an expert to answer questions, then post one Q&A on the homepage each week (or daily, depending on your control). Archive previous Q&As on the site in a searchable format.

9. Product reviews. If your industry has products or software that need reviewing, consider writing some impartial review articles. Publish the articles on your own website and online publications. Readers will always be interested in comprehensive, impartial reviews because the author lists the product's strengths and weaknesses without bias. If your business is scenic areas, how should you "review"? As an expert, what products will you use? Why?

10. Tips. If your product or service is suitable for tips, write a series and publish them on your website. Send them out as newsletters. Invite readers who use your product to also write tips/tricks, and if they submit, give them discounts/offers on other products.

11. FAQs. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) are content your target audience wants to know. When you receive questions from readers, add new Q&A content to the FAQ section to keep it updated.

12. User manuals/guides. People like user manuals. If you're selling toilet parts online, why not write a guide on "how to install a toilet in the bathroom"? Provide convenience for your customers, and guests will keep coming. Write a series of user manuals. Be the "Toilet Superhero" on the web. It may not sound glamorous, but this way you'll get high attention and convert website traffic into sales. You'll be charming outside the internet too.

13. Content that solves practical problems. Why do people visit the internet? To look for information or compare shopping options. If you can solve these problems for your visitors, you help them achieve their goals. For example, you're selling small oriental rugs. Your potential customer may be looking for ideas on how to decorate her office. Her office is small, and she wants to add some color. Most of the walls are occupied by windows and metal bookshelves. If you create a series of content/images showing how your oriental small rugs can solve her problem, one example mentions long oriental carpets. This content not only includes images but also text descriptions of various problems and solutions. Naturally, your potential customer will find your page through search engines.

14. Historical data. This time, assume you're selling steel pipes. What's the history of steel pipes? Create a page specifically introducing their history. In fact, you should also create pages about: comparisons between steel pipes, copper pipes, and other types of metal pipes; why rust occurs; the hardness of steel; the practical value of steel pipes (how steel pipes are used in nearly every building, etc.); the lifespan of steel; etc., etc. All these form a section, which will be a very valuable part of the entire website.

Note, here comes the question. Is this content also valuable to the target audience of the steel pipe company? Imagine a target group: vocational education training classes across the United States. This would be a useful resource for them. If they link to this site, they are .edu sites, wouldn't that give the site high linking approval? Think about it. We're talking about quality content and quality links.

Another example of historical data, a hotel on St. Simon Island. Such a hotel should definitely provide the island's history and tourism information on its website.

How should a website selling Mustang hose components use this strategy? What about a website selling wedding dresses?

15. Interviews. The easiest way to generate content. Interview an expert in your industry. List questions for the expert and let them answer in their own words. Besides correcting spelling or grammar errors, don't edit the expert's answers. Be honest with the expert and maintain the integrity of the interview article. Write a series of interview articles and highlight them on the main pages of your website.

16. Seasonal articles. Does your industry also have "seasonality"? If so, seasonal articles are often popular.

17. Statistics. Providing statistics on your website is also a way to increase content. If the statistics are not from yourself, they often tell you where the information comes from. Cite these sources! How can financial or mortgage websites use this strategy?

18. Advice column. This can be used on dating websites, as well as other websites. How can SEO websites use this strategy? Interior design websites or plastic surgery websites?

19. Monthly champion. Assume you run a website selling floral arrangements. Invite your customers to send photos of bouquets they designed using your flowers, etc. Publish the photos online. Select a winner each month and place their photo on a prominent page of the website. Award the winner a $25 gift as a certificate of achievement.

20. Using the florist example, create some video tutorials on how to arrange flowers. Ensure all materials used in the tutorial are available in your store when viewers follow along.

21. Still using the florist example. Invite customers to share insights, such as how they made their floral arrangements, what materials they used, and photos, etc. Place this information on your website. Related materials link to your online store. Be creative. How would you apply this strategy in your industry? If you have a costume website, what would you do? An art website? Think hard and apply this strategy to hunting or fishing websites.

22. Send out a monthly newsletter with the information you want to tell your customers. It could be tips from customers, products on sale, holiday plans, monthly champions, etc. Post past newsletters on the website to increase content.

23. Biographies of important figures. If relevant to your industry, you can do this. For example, if you run a website about American Civil War history or an old bookstore, this is very useful.

24. News events. Varies by your industry.

25. Community-related pages. If it's a local website, for example, you can discuss local restaurants, baseball leagues, school openings, etc., on community-related pages or blogs.

We've just listed these ideas, getting started. Everything depends on your industry, your product or service. You still need brainstorming.

Conclusion...

Remember "quality" when creating content. These ideas above should help you get started.

Then also think about the following issues. If you start creating quality content, what's next? Quality links. Other websites will begin linking to your content because you've done what you should: provided what your customers need. They need to see quality, regularly updated information. You become a trusted source of information.

Don't try to take "shortcuts." Success comes from hard work.

About the Author:

Robin Nobles is a columnist in search engine marketing and serves as the main speaker in multiple branches of Search Engine Workshops in North America, which has even expanded its business to Europe.

Original: 25 Ways to Add Quality Content to Your Web Site

Translated by: Sun Bo (Flavien)

Source: http://weblog.flaviensun.com