As more and more businesses realize the importance of content and how it improves their search engine rankings, content mills are popping up quicker than weeds in my heat-stricken backyard.
Nick Usborne recently wrote a post on his blog about the hazards of using second-rate content mill product on your website. Not only is Google cracking down on those using this mainly low-quality stuff to capitalize on longtail keywords and drive SEO, but the chances of you disappointing your visitors with poor content increases, and any chance you had of getting a comeback goes out the window.
Freeze-dried, reconstituted content
Sure, you can use any number of article sites on the web and get free content to use (some of it very good, some not so much), or pay a small fee to a content mill for a 300-350 word article and post it on your site for instant content. Unless it’s actually a good quality article, your visitors will probably feel it’s a little like finding out they’ve been served instant coffee and powdered eggs at an elegant soiree.
Once again, I’m back to the argument against using content for content’s sake. You’re not doing yourself any favours when you link to just anything that’s remotely connected to your business simply to feed search engines. Good quality, custom content that has an actual value to your target market is a must if you want to be seen as a credible and respected resource, and be representin’ online.
Homegrown, hot & fresh
Good old-fashioned, fresh homegrown content will reflect well on your biz and establish your site as a valued resource. Eyeballs will happily return to your site, and you’ll see honest SEO results.
Need ideas? Check out key blogs or online magazines for hot issues or trends affecting your industry. Dig through your blog post archives to see which posts attracted the most attention. Revisit popular marketing pieces. Can you write an article, e-book, case study or whitepaper around any of these? Chances are, you’ll come up with plenty of ideas for homegrown content. If you’re short on time or people to create what you need, hire a professional.
And, don’t forget that content can be repurposed any number of ways, like slide shows, videos, blog posts, or used in social media marketing.
It’s well worth the investment.
