Content is the name of the online game.  Strong content draws potential clients to your website, and converts them into strong leads. The purpose of content is to create value for users and in the process boost your credibility as expert in the industry. In order to do so you need to feed users with your quality content.

Step 1: Identify the Preferences of Your Users

In order to identify the preferences of your users you need to track their behavior with web analytics tools. For Example: Google Analytics. Probe them with short, straight-to-the-point questionnaires.

Tip: Create a beneficial incentive to exchange information, for example: fill out this questionnaire and download our eBook.
Once your user behavior research has been done, you can determine the most effective tone, and style for the content on your website.

Step 2: Ensure Your Content is Search Engine Optimised

The most effective content is not only of the highest quality, but also finely optimized for search engines and according to the theme of the website. By now you have identified your websites theme and have done considerable keyword research.

Tip: You should have focus pages for, at least, every main theme on your website. Each of these landing pages should also have their own keywords or key phrases. You want Google to recognize each of your pages correctly so that your content ranks high for its corresponding keywords. Ensure your focus pages are comprehensive and interesting. You want to demonstrate expertise but at the same time entice users to explore your content further.

Step 3: Establish a Publishing Schedule and Stick To It

Your content updates should be a set part of your publishing schedule. Your schedule should include both content updates as well as fresh content. Fresh content is brand new content, while content updates are additions to existing content. Google gives priority to more recent content, which does not only apply to fresh content. This may pose an issue for evergreen content, where the nature of the content is permanent. However updating evergreen content regularly will ensure that it maintains its search ranking.

Tip: A great way of highlighting content updates is to post content teasers. A content teaser informs readers of future updates, and creates hype. A content teaser need only be a sentence or two.

Step 4: Create a News Feed

Create a column on each webpage with a live feed that automatically informs users of content updates. Depending on the number of topics covered by your website you may need to create topic orientated feeds in order to maintain your theme structure.

You want users to go to your website, read up on a specific topic then be automatically directed to all other related content. This is a great technique for promoting content through your websites design.

Step 5: Designate Content Piece Ownership

The best way to ensure your content updates are done consistently and according to your publishing and content maintenance schedule is to designate an owner to every piece of content. The owner is the person responsible for updating that specific item or topic.

Tip: Implement an automatic system whereby each content item is given an expiry date, thus indicating when it is due for an update. The system should inform the content owner, through the back end of the website, when a content item requires attention. For example: Bob from marketing is the content owner of all PR related content. As soon as an item from the PR related content list expires, Bob from marketing is informed.

What makes this system great is the fact that every update can be monitored and automatically managed to ensure that your content is updated frequently and consistently. And of course with assigned responsibility so that there is never confusion as to who was ‘supposed to’ do the job.

Tips and Pointers

• Ensure that each and every content page has a call-to-action to convert users into leads.
• Content updates may vary considerably. Content updates may include, for example: responding to comments, posting a paragraph or even a sentence; as long as it’s relevant it counts.
• Older content pages, even evergreen ones, can be updated with subpages, links to landing pages and new paragraphs. It is important to note that adding depth to older content pages is a major part of the updating process and helps keep your content fresh, especially in the eyes of Google
• The nature of the update determines the frequency of updates. Consider this when incorporating your content updates to your publishing schedule.

Updating your content regularly need not be seen as a difficult task; in fact with the proper processes and procedures the entire process may be easily simplified. In an online world where content is the name of the game, isn’t it about time you took your updates thereof a little more seriously?

Got any questions or suggestions? Then share them with me here or @JulianKarstel

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