Content Writing Driving You Crazy?

How Hard Could It Be?

If you’ve ever tried to write your own website content, you can probably relate a little too closely to Jack from “The Shining”.  Jack needs to create some content, so he takes a little time off to knock it out.  But, as writer’s block kicks-in, he begins to unravel just a tiny bit.

Who Cares About Content?

Who cares about the content of your website?  Well, today Google does. As I discussed in my last post about managing your online identity, Google and the other search engines gather information about your company from a number of places.  One of which, is you. In the past, website content was created when a site was launched. There might have been some updates if a new product or service was introduced. But for the most part, the website content was treated like a brochure - print it and forget it. Today, your website’s content not only determines your user's experience, it tells the search engines which visitors to send to your site. Because the quality of your content will directly affect the success of your website, the pressure of getting it right can be intense.

“The quality of your content will directly affect the success of your website…”

The process of researching, gathering, organizing, writing, and editing your information can seem overwhelming.  And without the right process and help, it probably will be. Regardless of your years of experience in your industry, expressing who you are and what you do can be a daunting task, even for a skilled writer.  As a businessperson, your job is running your company, not slogging through the intricacies of the written word. Being great at what you do doesn’t mean you’re particularly good at writing it down.  On top of that, your employees and customers may not feel comfortable giving you creative criticism about your content. But, you know your business better than anyone else, so how can you trust an outside writer to create your content?

Remember That It’s a Business

Professional writers are in a unique position because they are accustomed to taking detailed direction and direct criticism of their work.  By applying a unique approach to the content gathering, writing and editing process, they ensure those key points you may take for granted are included in your content.

"A professional writer gives you the opportunity to look objectively at your competitive advantage..."

Working with a professional writer gives you the opportunity to look objectively at your competitive advantage, and how to explain it best to your prospective customers. Considering your content from your visitors’ point of view can create a valuable perspective. Writing is an art, and professional writers do it for a living. Good content will attract the right audience, interest them, and then compel them to act.  If you're writing your content with any other primary objective, you may start feeling like you're trying to write the next great American novel...just like Jack.

Regular Content Creation Converts Customers

Today's access to a constant flow of information forces a new school of thought.  Google, and the other search engines, value new, fresh content more highly than old, stale information.  The logic being, the newest information is most likely the most accurate.  As a result, effective online communication is defined as a constant flow of effective blog posts, social media updates, white papers, case studies, and videos. Are your successful competitors and industry leaders turning out regular blog posts? Are they pushing that content out to customers through the appropriate social media channels? The leaders don't blog because it's fun. They create fresh, meaningful content to improve their search engine positions, to drive traffic to their websites, and ultimately creates new leads.

At SOLID, we offer small, reasonably priced packages to help you not only create the content for your site, but to also generate regular monthly blog posts.

So, before you start shouting “Here’s Johnny!” maybe you should consider working with the professionals at SOLID to help you create a content cultivation process. If you've got questions, we'd love to discuss them with you. Go ahead, contact us! But leave the ax at home, mkay?