What Every Blogger Should Know About Quality Content, and How to Create It
If you read a lot of blogs about blogging, you have probably noticed that "Provide quality content" is by far the most common tip given out, yet there aren't a lot of people who have described exactly what quality content is, why it's important, and how to create it.
Naturally, different people are going to have different ideas about what "quality content" really is, and that's okay. Quality content takes on many different forms, on many different blogs.
What is quality content?
Quality content is the stuff that people are looking for to satisfy a need or desire. It is what people find useful, informative, or entertaining. It's what makes them want to return to a website in search of more content, or even subscribe to RSS feeds. It is what people find to be valuable.
Quality content is also what search engines aim to provide for searchers. It is often rich in key words and phrases, and may be considered some of the best content available on the topic at hand.
Why is it important?
Who is going to read your blog if all you provide is a load of crap scraped from other sites, or thrown together with too many keywords, or anything that is not original or interesting? Few, if any at all.
And not only will people not read it, but the old SEO techniques used to cheat the search engines don't work anymore. The ultimate goal for search engines is to provide searchers with the highest quality content on the net, and little by little, they're coming closer to achieving it. The best thing a website owner can do is just that- give the search engines exactly what they want.
10 Tips for Creating Quality Content
1) Write about the things that interest you. It's obvious when a blogger is not passionate about the subject he or she is writing about, and if the blogger isn't interested in the topic at hand, why would anyone want to read the blog? They will most likely move on to another blog, by an author who deeply cares for the things he or she is writing about.
2) Only write what you know. Like the above, it's obvious when a blogger doesn't know the topic he or she is writing about.
3) Write for people first, search engines second. While writing specifically for the search engines may get you more search hits, you'll most likely have fewer regular readers. People want to read something that they can understand, something that flows smoothly, something that sounds good. Give that to them.
4) Blog about something that isn't being covered by a lot of bloggers, or provide a new point of view on a popular topic. Don't be afraid to be different.
5) If you're used to writing lots of short posts, perhaps you could try writing a few longer ones here and there. This tip may not work for some blogs (it depends on your topic, writing style, and audience), but many blogs could benefit from this.
6) Don't paste a bunch of ads and other banners all over the place. Cluttered pages aren't very attractive, and often discourage readers from returning.
7) Take your time when writing. While it's important that bloggers learn to manage their time wisely, it's also important to allow yourself enough time to write a great post without rushing. This often leads to mistakes- lots of them.
8) Proofread your work before posting.
9) Read other blogs and learn from them. Sometimes bloggers will write about their blogging achievements and how they accomplished their goals. Pay attention and make note of the things that may work for you.
10) Make sure your page design shows off at least some of your main content without scrolling. Huge logos, ads, and other banners are a big turnoff to new visitors. They're usually there for the content, not for an elaborate design that requires you to scroll down before you can read anything.
Most of these tips can be applied to just about any type of blog. Try them, come up with some of your own, and make note of your experiences. Every blog and blogger is different and will require different methods of content creation in order to make something interesting, new, and unique.
Do you have any other tips you'd like to share?
>> Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe for more from IGTB.
>> Please take a moment to vote for this article at BlogEngage. Thanks!
hey wats goin wid ur link love section? did u stopped it? sent u may b 3 articles but never shown in ur blog. Is the contest still open?
Posted by: rabin | June 16, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Tip: check diaries, events listings, etc. every now and then and see what's coming up in the world. Concerts, public holidays, sports events, celebrity marriages, and so on can pull in a lot of extra traffic if you time your post release well and make sure your content title is rich in typical search query keywords. By knowing well in advance about something you can take your time and make your article well-rounded and interesting or, alternatively, controversial to drive discussion.
Posted by: Mark | June 19, 2008 at 10:02 AM
hi Raivyn,
thanks for your tips.
I agree reader will come back again if they like style of your writing and they can interact or even your entry is mixed with funny stuff.
lankapo.com
Posted by: lankapo | June 22, 2008 at 01:38 PM
Thanks for this info, really helpful :)
Posted by: Anders Moen | July 02, 2008 at 07:29 AM
I have to disagree with #2: only write what you know. I think an awesome part of blogging is learning through mistakes and through resources you find online. If you're passionate about a subject (say...quantum physics? But I'm a total nerd)then there's no reason you can't provide the "newbie" perspective on it and share your way of learning and growing into an "expert."
I totally agree with #10, however. 'Packaging' is an important concept I try to work into my designs, and I think that some blogs just try to do "too much" with their concepts.
Posted by: Corey Freeman | July 23, 2008 at 06:08 AM
You damn Yanks think you know it all don't you? And it's no wonder when you have amateur bloggers of your caliber. ;)
Posted by: Sire | September 18, 2008 at 09:55 AM