So how do you get quality content without becoming a slave to your web site? You’ll have to be creative, but here are a few things I do, which have been successful – and fun:

Rounding Up Some Help:

The internet is a dog-eat-dog place to do business. Because it is inexpensive, new web sites go up every day. The best way to ensure that YOUR web site is successful is to fill it with the very best content you can produce, and do it often. Create loyalty among your visitors by providing great information, and reasons for them to visit frequently.

Search engines look for new pages, updates to existing pages, and “activity” on your site, to determine whether your site is a great resource that is constantly updated. If it appears that your site just “sits there,” it will be difficult to get traffic from search engines.

So how do you get quality content without becoming a slave to your web site? You’ll have to be creative, but here are a few things I do, which have been successful – and fun:

1. Use lots of pictures. You can create interesting pages that are pleasing to the eye by using lots of pictures. This not only grabs reader interest and entices them to read your material, it also fills some of the space, so that you don’t have to fill the entire page with top quality writing. Less is more on the web. Grab attention, and keep your writing short, vivid and to the point.

2. Once you have some “regular” customers visiting your web site (if it’s a “club-type” or blog site), ask one or two of them if they would like to help as a “contributing editor.” Often, your new editor will be so pleased to be asked, he or she will write many more articles than you could ever hope to produce alone. Blog sites are especially conducive to contributors. On each of my blogs, I have a group of “contributing authors,” and this only makes it necessary for me to post about once a week.

3. If your site is selling a product, ask for product reviews, stories and testimonials from your customers. You can even ask them to send you a picture of the product, or of themselves, which makes a great “testimonials” area for your site. Testimonials are extremely effective selling features, and when visitors see pictures of real people using your product or service, your sales will skyrocket.

4. Work with complementary web sites. An example of this would be if you were a building contractor. You could show many pictures of your completed projects, and you could share “how-to” or “do-it-yourself” articles for home improvement. Your local hardware store might also have a web site, and you could work together with each other, trading articles to send each other business. This works in nearly any business –even if your business only exists online. Think about it… who would make a good partner with your web site?

5. Chances are, if you are hosting a web site, you have a passion for your topic, and you know many others who share that passion. If you are a golfer hosting a golf web site, ask friends you golf with to share their “top 10” tips. If you are a blogger writing about dating, have friends share “worst date ever,” or “tips for blind dates.” These collaborations can be lots of fun for your visitors, and again, this gives you more content without having to write it yourself!

Excerpt from "Web Rookie to Web Success Ebook," a getting-started guide for web site owners. Get a FREE copy when you request a FREE web design quote from us.

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