The next time you visit a website, take a moment to stop and ask yourself "why am I visiting this website?" Chances are your answer is going to have something to do with the content. The fact is, content is king. Having the most unique and informative content that is relevant to your genre of website will greatly increase user retention. We'll discuss some key components to keeping your website content fresh and keeping it relevant!



Choose a Topic You're An Expert In

Consider this. You have just discovered the world of online affiliation where you can make money through advertisements placed on your website. You see advertisements on just about every web page on the net these days, mostly in the form of Google AdSense "Sign up for Google AdSense and start earning commissions today!" Sure, it sounds great and it can be very profitable, but the mistakes many new webmasters will make is choosing a market that they feel will make them a quick buck rather than choosing something they are passionate about. The result of this over-enthusiasm for capital gain is typically a website that lacks originality, style, and quality content. You'll find that the key to success is providing users with a quality site where content is your main focus. Once you've established a niche that you feel comfortable in and can showcase a strong knowledge on your subject matter, content will come easy.

Enlist The Help of Ghost Writers

Writing quality content can be time consuming. The more ambitious your site is, the more quality content you'll need to provide. Don't be afraid to enlist the help of Ghost Writers to help you fill those empty pages. As long as you enlist the help of others who are experts in your chosen website category, you'll be well off with the additional content writers. Try asking some colleagues if they'll write an article or two, post messages on forums stating that you're looking for a content writer. Of course not everyone is willing to help without some form of compensation. If you site offers services that users typically pay for, try offering those services to a select few friends or colleague for free in exchange for articles and content.

Be Your Own Worse Critic

When it comes down to the quality of your content, be your own worse critic. Be nitpicky about every little nuance and aspect of every sentence you write down. Read it several times over, making sure it's relaying effectively the message you're trying to get across. When in doubt, have a friend or co-worker read through your content and get their honest opinions. You only have a few seconds to make an impression on your users, so never publish anything that is less than perfect. Your goal is to make sure your content contains useful and quality information without error before being seen by visitors of your site. Also, make sure to run your article through a spell check (such as with MS Word) before publishing it.

Add Something New Each Day

A website that remains static will not retain users. It's fact. For your website to keep generating repeat traffic, you need to give your users something new each day. They will need to see constant changes, new articles, and up to the minute news and information so they will be intrigued in coming back. Never fall into a comfort zone where you feel you can "wait another day" to update your site. You can be sure of one thing, if you're not on top of your website, the competition will be!

Write Your Content For Users, Not Search Engines

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important to search engines, content is important to users. Do not confuse the two. Content should be written with the user in mind, without thinking about how it will impact search engines. Content written for search engines usually are comprised of keyword stuffing (repetitiveness of key words), which more often that not will make the content neither useful nor particularly enjoyable to read. You will be doing a disservice to yourself and your users if you write your content for search engines.

By focusing on the user you'll soon reap the benefits of quality content that was written with passion and knowledge. Over time you'll find that you'll receive residual traffic as other webmasters link to your site, users post your URL in forums, and word of mouth spreads. Although content is just one component to generating traffic to your site (you still need to apply SEO), it will ensure that the traffic you do get keeps coming back for more.