It’s no secret that high-quality content is essential for online success, but how does the average small business owner go about creating it? Consider these five steps as you work to publish top-notch blog posts, web copy and social media updates.
1. Consider your audience.
Creating fictional personas for each stage of the buyer’s journey is a great way to pinpoint your readers’ needs and deliver a message that resonates. Relevant details to consider include the potential buyer’s age, location, income level, job title, interests and buying motivation.
2. Define your purpose.
Content should be purpose-driven and include a call to action (CTA). Educate the reader, provide answers to specific search queries and provide actionable advice. Avoid derivative content; unique offerings are not only rewarded by search engines but also appreciated by your readers.
3. Make it look good.
Create a strong, engaging title that makes users want to click and read. Use an outline format with headings, bullet points and plenty of white space to make text easily scannable. Choose images and video that help to communicate your message and make links and CTAs easy to identify.
4. Optimize for search.
Use relevant keywords, page titles and meta descriptions to help Google (and readers) identify your content as useful. Linking to authoritative sources can also help search engines characterize your content as being credible and helpful.
5. Analyze your results.
Use analytics to determine the success of your content. You may find that certain content types and topics perform better than others. For example, if your audience responds well to infographics or product tutorials, you can provide more of those options moving forward.
By following these simple steps, you can improve the quality of your content, rank higher in search and provide a better audience experience.