Compelling online content is one of the quickest ways of establishing a direct relationship with the potential online customer and to help draw that consumer into a sale.

A new study from the Online Publishers Association (OPA) found that the time Internet users spend viewing online content is up 37 percent from four years ago. This statistic alone should tell us how important content, on our websites, has become.

A new method for easily distributing online content is called a web feed and the technical format that makes it possible is called RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. Really Simple Syndication is a popular technology for notifying users of updates to content in a website, blog, or Internet TV channel. You can monitor news, blogs, job listings, personals, and classifieds.

More and more sites offer feeds, which you can identify by a small button that says either RSS or XML. However, if you click one of these links, you will most likely get a page full of code in your browser. To properly read the feed, you need an RSS reader and you can get one for free or on a trial basis at download.com.

Another form of content increasing in popularity is video. With the advent of youtube this media is becoming a very common and effective means of displaying content on a website.

It can be entertaining as well as a great tool to effectively get your message across to your visitors and increase traffic to your site. Video is also easier than ever to produce because of a new wave of tiny cameras, inexpensive editing software and more powerful computers.

Audio content is also very popular and very easy to produce. You can send an audio email, create an audio tape to market as a product or just use it as a means of welcoming visitors to your website. Create Audio Newsletters, Adsense Sites, e-Books and Blogs to increase your online profits, build huge opt-in lists and get repeat visitors.

Internet users ages 45 plus believe online content is focused on younger age segments and so it's important to design content that is relevant and engaging to all age levels. Not surprisingly, says the Online Publishers Association (OPA) study, younger respondents are most likely to say online content is focused on people their age.

Well-written online content is crucial to a website's success. The key to making money from content is getting yourself bought by Microsoft or one of the other giants in the industry. But if Microsoft doesn't come calling don't despair because you can still do very well for yourself with a website that's rich in quality content.

One of the challenges, in the beginning, to creating content is overcoming the fear "what should I write about"? You don't have to be Edgar Allen Poe to be a successful Internet Marketer. Just take a look at some of the top marketers BLOG's and this should prove my point. My suggestion is that you write about something you enjoy and the words will flow like tap water.

Also try to write as if you're having a conversation with a friend. In other words be you. Don't try to come across as a literary genius. None of us are and we shouldn't try to write like one because, more than likely, it just isn't going to happen.

Try to add fresh content to your site on a daily basis. The search engines, like the rest of us, like to be fed on a regular basis. We also should try to make the content as tasty as possible by using keywords throughout but not at the expense of quality.

Most online content is still written as HTML pages and uploaded via FTP. Online content is now offers greater interactivity thanks to developments like Macromedia's Flash and Shockwave plug-ins or software add-ons to Web browsers that allow them to interact with animated graphics.

The demand for online content is growing daily and by all indications there doesn't seem to be any decrease in this demand coming in the foreseeable future.