Think of it like this: Your blog is the front door of your brand. Is it covered in cobwebs, in need of a few swipes of paint, a broken key in the lock, and months of unanswered mail piling up in front of it? Or does it look like #thatpinkdoor? (Go ahead. Search it up on Instagram. We’ll wait for you.)
One door scares everyone away, except maybe serial killers or robots who don’t care about aesthetics. And the other? Well, there are almost 8k posts on Instagram devoted to pictures taken by as many people of #thatpinkdoor.
That’s what content does. It either invites people in or sends them away. It’s defined as compelling information that informs, engages, or amuses, and adds a benefit to the person who consumes it. Make it so readable, they want to read it twice. No, make it so interesting, they want to bookmark it.
How’s your content doing? Here are three easy ways to make it better:
- Pay attention to SEO keywords, but not too much attention. I know a lot of writers who jam-pack their blog posts with keywords and backlinks in order to increase visibility in search results, but sorely neglect their content. If it’s not compelling content, only bots will be interested.
- Audit frequently. One expert compared auditing your content to flossing: if you only do it once a year, you’re going to be in trouble at your next dentist appointment. Regularly check up on your links, get rid of outdated content, evaluate your SEO effectiveness, and make sure you’re staying true to your well-planned editorial calendar.
- Remember the long-game. Patience in a content strategy is essential, so stick with it. At The Found Gen, we always remind our clients that Rome wasn’t built in three months, but we weren’t managing that particular content.
There’s definitely a balance to consider between your on-site content – is it making healthy conversions to sales? – and off-site content, like creating link networks and building your brand’s reputation.
If you ever want to talk about this in-depth and specific to your own content, give us a call. We love this stuff.