03 Jan How To Build Great Content That Readers and Google Both Love.
For years Google told us to write for our readers and not for Google. Many people did this with great success, however, over time fear crept in and people began again writing more for SEO rather than their readers. Then came Panda and many of these sites that were happily publishing content without any thought for Googlebot got hit by the dreaded Panda penalty. Content alone was no longer king and their publishment continues.
So, what can we do to ensure that we build better websites that will not be penalised one day as a result of our content choices?
Well, mostly good content will still get ranked highly. What we really have to be careful *not* to do is keep repeating ourselves. If something works well once we should be happy with those results, and not attempt to re-work the same content on the same site to win more free search traffic. Instead, follow these tips:
1. Create Lists, Tips and Guides
This is actually a good example in itself. A list should be unique, be personally, have a new angle on a popular subject. There is little point writing a list on the best things to do in Slough as frankly, unless you are writing for a Slough tourist site, nobody cares.
A good list should have some familiar names plus many new leads. Whether it is sports, celebrity, business, technical, scientific, comendy etc. the same rules apply to all. Lists are not only good on their own, they also help to break up longer content.
2. Know Your Niche
The best writing comes from the heart. Understanding your niche area means that you can write freely on your subject. Trying to reach out to a larger audience could quickly backfire as it becomes apparent that you do not know the subject matter in detail. This can come across as fluff content and lose readers and lead to a penalty from Google.
3. Be Different from the Rest
If you are involved in a popular area it is often tempting to follow the same stories as all your competitors. However, this may result in losing readers and getting less attention. Be different, be controversial even, but do not over do the controversy.
4. Be Social
When publishing new content on your website always do your own social media promotions to get the ball rolling. You may feel that this is like blowing your own trumpet a little, but if you are not willing to share your own content, why expect others to do it for you?
5. Keep Up To Date
Do not publish and then abandon your articles. You are better off having 20 good articles that are kept up to date than 100 articles that are soon out of date and meaningless. If there is a big news item and you already have something on that subject, consider adding to your current article rather than making a new one. Better to strengthen one article rather than create two weak articles.
This is essentially what is needed to create good content that both your readers and Google will love. There is not a lot to writing interesting new content really. This blog post only took 20 minutes. You can do a lot in a short time when you know your subject!
The author of this article, Jon Wade, manages several web brands. He is also the founder of both Essex Portal and Shareholders Portal, two sites built from his passion for his local community and his experience working in London’s financial sector. Using this method also helped him to overcome a Panda penalty on one of his sites. It really does work, and it really is this simple.
