Why your Site Needs Quality Content, and how to Acquire it

Internet users are increasingly goal oriented when using the web. They are after information and providing that information is the goal of content. It is vital to a website's success to provide information of value and interest to the surfer in order to boost sales and increase visitors to the site. Search engines love content because that is what users are after, articles that detail, why, how, what, and how much can cost are considered content.

What Content can do for a Website

Content in the form or videos, articles, how to instructions can give a website many benefits beyond just bulking up the website and making it larger. Some of the benefits are as follows:

• More pages mean more sites to be indexed in the search engines, and usually mean more traffic.
• Content that is useful and original will give the consumer confidence in your site and hence increase the chances they will purchase from you.
• More keywords mean more visitors and long tailed search terms such as riding lawnmowers, or winter care for lawnmowers can add to the search results.
• A site that offers unique content is more likely to bring repeat visitors and that stickiness increases the chances you have of selling to that consumer.
• Content can be shared in the form of feeds in return for backlinks to your site. Inbound links are always good and can increase a website's page rank and traffic.
• Becoming an expert in the field with content that is original and useful can also help to generate natural links neither (links that are not solicited nor do they require a trade). These are most beneficial to a website.
• Original content increases the chances of a site's inclusion into human edited web directories that can provide quality target visitors.

What is Content

Content does not necessarily need to be articles or descriptions it can encompass an entire range of media including videos. It is simply that text is low bandwidth, loads easier and in the case of do-it-yourself instructions can be printed easily for reference.

For instance, a site that sells lawnmowers could just have a few photos of lawnmowers and a shopping cart. However, that site will not do well in the search engines as the site that provides articles on "how to choose a riding lawnmower", "Lawnmower maintenance tips", "Buying Guides for Lawnmowers", "Can your lawnmower make it another year?" or more topics. All these provide value to the surfer and can entice them to stay on your site and purchase.

Where to Acquire Content

The very best content is usually original and written by a person knowledgeable in the business or service. A person who knows every aspect of the field or product can provide invaluable insights and unequalled content for the site, which cannot be duplicated elsewhere.

If your time is limited, then using a ghostwriter is an option. Writers who will produce content for your website that is written specifically on the topic you specify may be the solution to producing content for your site.

Using syndicated content is another option that can provide content. A website that offers articles on topics that would be useful for your site, may allow you to syndicate their articles provided they receive a link and credit for the article. Using this type of content must be prearranged, as there are laws governing copyrights and intellectual property that you do not want to violate.