Free Website Content - Top Ten Tips for Content Creation

Building Content
By S. Housley

Building Content
A website is more than just merging photos and graphics. Webmasters must also integrate quality themed content into their website. A "sticky" website is one that attracts individuals and encourages them to return. "Sticky websites" contains content that is related and of interest to the prospective customers. A sticky site is a place people will visit again and again. By creating an atmosphere people like to revisit, will increase their exposure to your product or service.


1. Top 10
Create a top 10 list of industry sites resources, and products that are related to the website's theme. The list should contain helpful resources or authority sites that are respected and have genuine useful information. Providing a credible top 10 will help web visitors and showcase tenability of the website.

Example:
RSS Top 10 - http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-top-10.htm
Top 10 Small Biz - http://www.small-business-software.net/top10-small-biz.htm

2. Product Comparisons
If you managed an industry website, consider creating a product or service comparison guide. Use a grid to illustrate the differences between the specific products or services. The comparison guide will be of interest to website visitors and contain unique aggregated data to assist in the visitor's decision making.

Example:
Podcast Directory Comparison - http://www.podcasting-tools.com/podcasting-directory-comparison.htm

3. Consumer Reports
Product warnings, recalls or alerts are generally issued by government agencies. The product alerts contain a list of related products, and any critical information related to that product. Consider syndicating the RSS feed of products from a specific industry or sector, displaying critical information will generate goodwill with potential customers and demonstrate social-consciousness.

Example:
Overview of Toilets - http://www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm

4. Buyers Guides.
Creating a buyer's guide is especially useful in the holiday season. A buyers guide or gift guide will attract both advertisers and web surfers. You can create a Buyers Guide using a web form, which effectively makes the process easier to manage. You can take the the Buyers Guide a step further, by making the guide interactive. Ask website visitors questions and offer helpful suggestions, based on their preferences. Analysis of product specifications, features, reviews and comparisons can be provided as part of an online buyers guide, important products or services can be highlighted in the guide.

Example:
Active Buyers Guide - http://www.activebuyersguide.com/ABG/clients/ABG/home.jsp

5. Tutorial
Creating educational tutorials or demonstrations about how a technology or service is effective in a specific industry or sector, is not only useful but it helps website visitors consider how they might further use a product or service. Consider providing wizards, tutorials or educational material that will assist in educating users. Educational materials also distinguishes the website publishers as knowledgeable in a specific area.

Example:
Tutorial - http://www.feedforall.com/podcasting-tutorial.htm or http://www.feedforall.com/rss.ppt (downloadable power point)

6. Glossary.
Decipher those difficult to understand words, for your website visitors. Despite sometimes being entrenched in an industry, consumers often remain unaware of what specific terminology means. Provide a clear, concise glossary of terms related to a product or service. Educating users about the lingo will help them better understand a product or services benefit.

Example:
Medical Terminology - http://www.hospital-software.com/medical-dictionary-online.htm

7. History.
Profile the history of an industry, event, or individual related to the product or service that you are promoting. The historical perspective will educate and attract those who have an industry interest.

Example:
What is Shareware / History of Shareware - http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/article25.html


8. Online Tool or Service.
Provide a online web tool or service. Webmasters or search engine marketers may provide a free website critique or a free tool related to the product or service they are marketing in order to attract web traffic. The tool or free service will act as a lost leader bringing web visitors to their website for an indefinite amount of time.

Example:
Button Maker - http://www.feedforall.com/public/rss-graphic-tool.htm


9. Interviews or Success Stories
Generate content by interviewing industry professionals. Not only are interviews interesting to website visitors, but also webmasters might find a number of interviewees provide links back to the interview from related industry websites.

Example:
Software Success Stories and Interviews - http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/software-success.htm


10. Interactive Content.
Content that is interactive will not only generate buzz, it will draw in website visitors. One of the first examples of interactive content, the Subservient chicken, generated not only buzz, but a good amount of traffic for Burger King. Marketers have adapted interactive content allowing webmasters to cater content based on web visitors choices or behavior.

Example:
Subservient Chicken - http://www.subservientchicken.com/
My Virtual Model - http://www.mvm.com/en/go_shopping.htm (select clothes to be modeled)

Creative content building techniques can draw interested website visitors. Create timeless, unique content and watch your webtraffic and visitors grow.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

**********************************************************

This article may be used freely in opt-in publications and websites, provided that the resource box is included and the links are active. A courtesy copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net .

Additional articles available for publication available at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm

**********************************************************