We all want to make our content relevant and attractive so that we can attract more and more people to our website and hopefully benefit from their interest. It’s simple and there are four very straight forward rules:
- It all starts with a plan
- Grab them with killer headlines
- Get nifty visuals for nix
- How a simple survey can score big on Google search
It all starts with a plan – why slip, slop slap won’t save your skin here
You can do it without planning but that will rarely effectively attract your audience and seldom reinforce your messages. You need a definitive Content Marketing Plan to allow you to obtain leads.
Your plan doesn’t need to be detailed and extensive, at least at the start. It needs to be clear and simple so that you focus on your story and end up by attracting the audience you want. This is the only way you will hit the nail on the head and effectively introduce your audience to your brand.
Grab them with killer headlines. Grab them by the ‘you-know-whats’ – the ‘nuts and bolts’ of killer headlines
News reporters receive lots (and lots) of media releases each day and grabbing their attention can be difficult. When it comes to headlines, here are a few golden rules: headline needs to sum up the story, it needs to be accurate – and it also needs to grab their attention.
Remember:
- The headline needs to sum up the story
- It needs to be accurate
Free tools of the trade – how to get nifty visuals for nix
We all know the power of an image to reinforce a thought, an insight or suggestion. But sourcing visual content with the help of the internet, is neither super-easy nor without risk. You can easily access and download any number of photos from Google or Bing. But copyright infringement is a serious matter and it can cost you a fortune and impact your reputation.
When it comes to using photos you find online, you should make sure you aren’t violating a copyright law. Instead use copyright-free images and respect all the attribution requirements.
There are many options if you choose to dig a bit deeper. There are many professional and amateur photographers who choose to offer their work for free. Have a look at www.pexels.com, or www.freeimages.com, or www.pixabay.com to name just a few. Be careful as some have a partnership with commercial image companies and it is very easy to choose the wrong image.
But if you choose a free image, make sure you follow all the instructions about accreditation. That’s the least you can do for someone who is giving you a way of connecting with your audience at no cost.
By the numbers – how a simple survey can score big on Google search
All internet search engines use a simple measure to rank entries. Whether it be Google, YouTube (yes it is a search engine!), Bing or all the many and varied ways to search. It would take a while to explain all the mechanisms but there is one that explains it all – repeat traffic.
If people come to your site frequently and the web searches can meet quality measures (that would also take more time than we have) then the website ranks higher and is better positioned in search results. And that’s what we want.
Have a look at this website . This started life with a survey and is constantly updated, giving users a reason to return frequently and that makes it higher ranked in search engines.
So think about all these things and work them into your plan to optimise your ranking. It’s not impossible and it’s worth the work.
Over to you
Need help to get the words right? Book a planning session and shift up your goals.
But that’s another story.
Get in touch to see how Amy can help you.