You Don’t Just Need Content, You Need The Right Content

I am a firm believer that content is king. I have said it many times before and I honestly feel that nothing could be more important to a strong brand than great content. The problem is, that not all content is king, it really is the case that the right content is king. You can have tons of content on your site but if it’s poorly written, or not about a topic your users are looking for then it’s really not providing the benefit you think it is.

That’s right, you don’t just need content, you need the right content. So how can you find the right content? It’s actually a bit easier than you might think and it all starts with talking to your customers. Sure, you can definitely go to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool and look-up the most searched keywords related to your site. This can be a great starting point, but at the end of the day you really want to understand what your specific visitors really want.

Talking to your customers means sending them an email, reaching-out on Facebook, Twitter, as many touch-points as you have, and asking them what kind of content they want to see on your site. If you can get a meaningful sample size you will quickly be able to identify trends and better understand what content won’t just get users to your site, but will actually get them recommending it to friends and coming back for more.

I did this on my blog last year and asked readers which topics they liked the most and the least. Last year I had reached a point where I split my content between Domaining and Startups. After completing my survey I found-out that the vast majority of my readers were much more interested in Domaining specifically Domain Development and they loved case studies. I also learned a lot more about what my readers liked and didn’t like and it’s helped me keep my content much more focused on what you, the reader is looking for!

I have done the same thing across a number of my top brands and always find that our first guesses often are slightly off. It really takes engaging your visitor, asking them what they are looking for, and then delivering over and over so that you can create a repeat visitor.

The great thing is that for many of you, this process can begin right-away. If you already have a developed site send a survey out to your customers, what you learn this week can help you make a better site this year! Always remember, content is and always will be king, but it’s the right content that makes all the difference.

(Photo Credit)

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton