There is lots of content on the web. Lots. If you wanted to build a website about, say, the health benefits of running, there would be no shortage of content already out there that you could license and curate to fill your pages. But don’t underestimate the power of custom content — your own words, videos and pictures produced from your own point of view — and what it can do for your site.
If you’ve been thinking about custom content but aren’t sure you’re ready to take that plunge, here are four benefits that might help persuade you:
- It fills a void. What are readers searching for when they visit your site? More importantly, are they finding it? If not, fill those gaps with content that you create in the form of how-to articles, videos and illustrative photographs. If readers aren’t finding what they’re looking for when they search your site, you can be sure they’re searching for it — and finding it — elsewhere.
Do you have content you wish you could get your hands on? If you’ve been spending your energy searching for just the right content vendor for that dream content, why not just write it yourself? You’ll save time, energy and money, and that custom content will lead right to the next three benefits. - It increases traffic. Google and other search engines really like fresh, relevant and timely content. It other words, if you wrote an article on cold weather running gear back in 2004 that only your employees read, Google doesn’t really care at this point. A new article on the subject will allow you to share that content with readers on your site and through social media tools. If people like it, share it and link to it, and if it contains strong keywords, more search engines will point to your piece of content when potential readers search for “cold weather running gear”.
- It makes you the authority. If you’re licensing content from Kyle, The Running Expert, readers of your website will soon realize they only need to read and subscribe to Kyle’s site to get the information they want. Instead of serving as the middleman, sharing Kyle’s content, providing your own content will make you the expert and allow readers to trust your expertise enough to visit again, subscribe and share.
- It creates an opportunity to make money. Yep, money! If you start creating enough quality content on a regular basis, maybe someone will knock on your door — or at least drop you an email — and ask about licensing your articles, videos or photographs.
Let’s say you start a monthly video series on how to get started with a running program. it might include the right gear, proper nutrition for before and after a run, mistakes beginners make and so on. That new content is not only updating your website, but it’s also producing good “Google juice,” as it’s sometimes called. It’s making you an authority on the subject and it might even be good enough that someone else wants to pay you for using it. How cool would that be?!