Getting Started with Content Creation

Confused About Content Creation?

10 Questions To Get You Started with Creating Your Website Content

One of the purposes of a website is to communicate a message, therefore it is crucial for your website to have content for visitors to read.  A website without content is useless, but creating the content isn't always easy - it takes some work.   One of the most difficult, time consuming, pain-staking aspects of creating a brand new website for a business is getting content from the business owner.    

Most businesses want to leave it up to their web developer to create content for them, however it's impossible for a web developer to know exactly what to write for their clients.  It's up to the business owner to create his/her own content.  The problem is that many business owners don't know where to start.  

Whether you are a business owner trying to figure out what to say, or a web developer trying to get content from your client, an encouraging snippet of truth to know is this: business owners know more than they think the do - it's just a matter of asking the right questions.  

Here is a list of 10 questions that I have found helpful to ask my clients who are struggling to come up with content for their website:

1) Do you have a mission statement for your company?  If not, what would you say the mission of your company is (what do you seek to do, and for who)?  

2) What is a one or two line sentence that sums up what you do?

3) Why did you get into the business?  (What was your motivation for starting your business?)

4) Do you have any special skills/services/products that aren't common for your industry?

5) What do you try to do differently than your competitor down the street?

6) What would you say is your biggest selling point?

7) What would you want a person who is just hearing about your business for the first time to know about your company? (if you were talking with someone about your company, what would you tell them in order to impress them)

8) What do you want your customers to feel after they've done business with you?

9) What are some positive things that people have said about your business? (this could end up being your testimonial section)

10) What are the 10 questions that you've answered 100 times about your industry?  (This will most likely be your FAQ’s content)

By the time you are finished answering the above questions, it's likely that you would have already come up with more content than you need to at least get your site started, and you can build from there.    

Sean is on an internet Talk Show!

Check out Sean discussing the SEO myth on Holly's Advice for B2B!  Then call & ask for his autograph.  He loves that.

http://hollysadvice4b2c.com/sean-tambagahan-seo-myth/
 

Tip of the Week #7: Test availability before commitment

One of the main complaints I get from clients who have had a bad experience with a web developer is that the developer was not available when the clients needed them.  Usually this happens when working with freelance web developers, or when your web-guy is your sister’s friend’s cousin’s neighbor (or something like that).  Ask yourself the following questions:
• How hard is it to contact my web developer representative on the phone?
• Does he/she return messages in a timely manner?
• How quick is he/she in getting back to me on my emails?

If you get frustrated before even hiring them to do work for you, don’t expect it to get any better when they start the work.   Sometimes what you think should have been a 3 week project can turn into a 6 month long nightmare.

Click here to see last week’s tip:  LAST WEEK'S TIP!!!

Tip of the Week #6: Don't Buy into the SEO Myth

When doing your research for website development, you’ll find that everyone is now an SEO pro.  SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.  It’s a service that web developers offer wherein they make your website easily found by search engines whenever someone is doing a search for your type of website.  When you start inquiring about these services, you’ll find out that it’s not as cheap as you’d prefer. 

The SEO Myth is this:
“It takes a lot of hard, confusing work that you can’t possibly understand unless you are an SEO guru to get your website seen by search engines, and therefore thousands of dollars in SEO service fees is justified.” 

That’s not true by any means!  SEO does take some work, but not thousands of dollars’ worth (typically).  Though there are some forms of performance-based SEO that can be expensive (such as pay-per-click), there are also several things you can do for free if you have the time and know-how.  If you don’t have the time and/or know-how, then pay someone to do it for you, but make sure they’re charging what’s fair. 

Most SEO companies are trained to use verbiage and explanations that intentionally confuse the average lay-person (that’s right – they are trained to confuse you!).  They do this for two reasons:
I. To make it seem like no one can do it except for them
II. To justify their outrageous cost

Ask questions to see exactly what the company is going to do for you to get your website seen by search engines; and also be aware that NO ONE can guaranty that you’ll get the first spot.

For Last Week's Tip, click HERE

Tip of the Week #5

Own your OWN website!

When getting your website started, make sure that you secure your domain name and hosting directly with a domain registrar.  I’ve heard too many stories about companies who pay their web developers a high monthly fee to host their site, and when they go to stop the service and host their website elsewhere, they find out that they can’t take any of the content with them.

Though there are ways of getting out of these deals without paying outrageous amounts of money, it’s best to avoid this from the get-go.  Ask your web developer questions like, “Who would own my domain name?  Who would own my hosting?  What happens if I want to go to another company later on down the road?”

Click here to see last week’s tip:  LAST WEEK'S TIP!!!