As web site authors, a lot of us like to create new content and publish information about our special interests. That is the initial motivation for creating a web site or starting a business in the web.
However, if you want to grow your readership or even make a full time living from your web site, you need to understand how to create content that generates money and improves your web site. It is not enough to have people that like your web site, but you also need to find ways to maintain and expand it.
Creating content that sells is one of the secrets to achieve profitability on the web. It is the difference between a site that doesn’t generate any interest in users and one that keeps readers coming time after time looking for new information.
A web site, be it a a blog or a services oriented site, needs content that provides objective information to users. Contrary to what a few beginners do, you shouldn’t concentrate on yourself or your motivations for creating the content. Instead, you need to concentrate on what your readers will try to accomplish and how they can do it better.
Credit Card Example
Suppose, for example, that you have a web site on credit card tips. The best information about credit cards tell people how to use it wisely. For example, you can write content about how to reduce the use of credit cards. Another example, is how to pay less interest rate on your credit cards. Still another interesting idea for an article is how to negociate fees on your credit cards, reducing from high interest rates to low rates.
The common theme in the previous example is to look at what customers want. They will probably will not be very interested in knowing how many credit cards you have, or how you are using your credit cards, unless you are providing something useful to them.
Another big idea to improve your content generation skills is to provide detailed information on the steps of doing something. For example, going back to the credit cards web site, you should always give enough details on how to do something, in order to improve the quality of your content. In a web article about reducing your credit card interest rates, don’t just say that you should contact your company to ask for a interest rate reduction.
Instead, list of the steps the reader needs to do the reduce interest rates. This can include calling the credit card company, explaining what you need to say to request a reduction in interest rates, and finally explaining how to negotiate with a credit card company to reduce the interest charged.
Results of Good Content
With careful exposition, you will provide a big service for readers that want to solve a specific issue. It is these readers that will keep coming back time after time to get more actionable information on your topic. Later on, they may even buy something from you, based on their previous experience.
Notice that the web is littered with web sites that promise to teach something, but fall short of expectations — sites such as e-how and others are just trying to get readers with cheap information. If you provide something more informative, you will be a long way towards getting more readers and selling more on your web site.