Creative Rich Content

Posted on November 29, 2006 | Filed Under Website Tips

Creative Rich Content
By Sharon Housley

We have all heard the term content-rich, but what does content rich really mean?

Content rich means different things for different individuals, because what one person finds useful, another may not. Content rich is all about providing information that is considered valuable to your target audience. Information that visitors might find useful could consist of product or industry facts, statistics, reviews, tutorials, or educational information related to a specific industry.

How to Make Your Website Content Rich
When creating a content rich website, do not be afraid to think outside of the box. Unique ideas will generally garner more attention than the mundane and more common content concepts. Over the years the unique content that has garnered the most attention, the Subservient Chicken and JibJab, may not be appropriate for a business website, there are still lots of “out of the box” things that you can do.

Here are some ideas on how you can build content for your website that will attract website visitors.

Calendar of Events
If you website appeals to a specific audience manage and maintain a calendar of events. The events should relate to a specific region or topic.

ex. Hawaii Local Events - http://calendar.gohawaii.com/ (regional)
or
ex. Librarian Events - http://www.infotoday.com/calendar.shtml (topic specific events)

Sponsorships and Contests
Conducting a contest is a great way to generate interest and incoming links, everyone wants to win and in order to garner votes many competitors will tell their audience about contests and voting options.

Example: Software Marketing Resource targets software developers and software marketers. They recently held ‘Software Vendor Awards’. Software developers and marketers were invited to nominate the companies they felt were worthy. The same audience was then given the opportunity to vote on the top nominees, and finally, winners were announced. Each stage of the contest resulted in buzz and increased web traffic.

Ex. - Software Marketing Resource - http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/winners.htm

Product Reviews and Testimonials
Consumers will often refer to product reviews to discern what product they should purchase. A number of websites have capitalized on this by providing independent product reviews and or independent consumer reviews.

Manufacturers can provide product reviews for related or complimentary products. Product reviews with candid the reviews are most credible if both the product negatives and positives are illustrated.

Ex. - epinions - http://www.epinions.com

Forums / newsgroups
User generated content is a great way to capture the keyword long tail. There is no easier way to facilitate user generated content than through the use of forums and newsgroups.

Ex. - NotePage - http://www.notepage.net/forum

Blogs
Blogs are search engine spider food. Why? Because they can provide relevant related content that is updated regularly. Use blogs to communicate with your audience.

Ex. - Security Blog - http://www.security-port.com/blog.htm

Maps
If your website is regional or local, provide tie ins to Mapquest or Google to show visitors a visual representation or directions to surrounding communities or local events.

Ex. Marriott - http://marriott.com/property/mapandnearbyairports/default.mi?marshaCode=dentc

Photo Contests / Art Contests
Everyone loves to win. If your website targets a consumer audience, contests can be a great way to interact with your audience. Contests also make a website sticky, because contestants will frequently revisit the website to check their standing, or determine if they are an actual contender. Many contestants will link to the content from blogs encouraging their readers to vote. All in all, contests can result in extra attention.

Ex. - Dog Photo Contest - http://www.pamperedpuppy.com/contest/index.php
Videos ex. - Dog Breed Videos - http://www.dog-pound.net/videos.htm

Stump the Expert / Knowledgebase / Q&As
Frequently asked questions have been dropped for a more modern approach to question and answers. Post “stump the expert questions” or construct a comprehensive knowledgebase of related information.

Ex. - RSS Knowledgebase - http://www.feedforall.com/knowledgebase.htm

Writing Articles / How to Guides
When writing your articles, think about what your website visitors want to know, not what you want to tell them. In other words write for your audience not for yourself. Not only does an article archive gradually expand a site, it gives webmasters the opportunity to optimize for a variety of phrases and to educate their audience. How to articles are always a great website addition.

Ex. - Small Business - http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm

Niche Directories / Lists
Topical portals have long been a popular on the web. Authority sites that focus on niche markets generate interest. Niche sites can be comprised of lists of helpful tools, the best niche blogs, popular news stories, industry specific terminology, and industry resources.

ex. - Podcasting Tools - http://www.podcasting-tools.com

Copying or replicating a service or information on another website, while possibly still of value, will not usually generate as much interest as a new concept. Do not be afraid to reach outside the boundaries of your website to provide quality content.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

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RSS Do’s and Don’ts

Posted on November 7, 2006 | Filed Under Website Tips

By Sharon Housley

RSS is not quite a household word, but technically astute

individuals are adopting the use of RSS feeds at an alarming

rate. If you are interested in jumping on the bandwagon, but

not quite sure of where to start, consider following these

simple RSS feed tips to maximize feed compatibility and make

your feed stand out from the crowd.

RSS DO’s

1. Titles and Descriptions.

Always include meaningful keywords in your RSS feed’s

Channel title and description. Many readers will view or

search for topic specific RSS feeds using keywords or

keyword phrases. If you have descriptive keywords in your

RSS feed’s title and description the feed is more likely to

be located and subscribed to by interested parties.

2. GUID Format.

Always include a GUID with each feed item. The GUID is a

globally unique identifier. Each post should use a different

GUID. The GUID will in some cases assist RSS news readers

and aggregation software in determining when new content has

been added to the RSS feed or when existing content in an

RSS feed has been modified. If you do not use GUID’s, the

software used to aggregate the feeds may have difficulty

detecting changes to feed items or the software may not

always recognize new content.

3. Publish Dates.

Always include a publish date on feed items. The publish

date should be used even if the content is timeless. The

Publish Date will help readers determine that status of the

content contained in the feed item.

4. Polish Your Feed.

Consider including images within your RSS feed. While the

added images will not necessarily improve ranking, they will

add a polished look to your RSS feed and help brand your

feed.

5. Feed Hosting.

Either host your own feed, or set it up to forward to a

third party from your website. This will allow you retain

complete control over the RSS feed. You will not need to

rely on the stability of another company. If you control the

forwarding and at any point you are dissatisfied with the

service provided by the third party, you can redirect the

feed to another location.

RSS DON’Ts

1. Plagiarize.

Do not plagiarize content in your RSS feed, there is little

more to be said. Written words are considered protected in

most countries. Posting someone else’s work and taking

credit for their words is wrong and will damage your

reputation as a credible source.

2. Splog.

Do not create splogs by automating feed creation. Splogs

just clutter the search engines and directories and make it

difficult to locate RSS feeds with meaningful content.

3. Violate Copyrights.

Do not violate copyrights by republishing an RSS feeds

contents. If you quote content from another RSS feed, credit

the source and provide and link to the original source of

the content. As a rule of thumb, editorial content should

exceed the length of the quoted material in the post.

4. Violate TOS.

Do not republish RSS feeds without confirming that feed

syndication is allowed. The terms of use are not always

apparent, so it is important that you check the terms of

service on the publisher’s feed subscription page prior to

syndicating the contents of another publisher’s RSS feed.

5. Provide Multiple Feed Formats.

Do not provide multiple feed formats for the same content.

As far as the subscriber is concerned, the version of RSS

that you are using is irrelevant. Multiple versions of the

same feed simply cause confusion. Almost all RSS readers and

news aggregators support all versions of RSS, simply choose

a version and provide a single feed.

By adopting good feed practices, you can reap the benefits

of having an RSS feed. Following these simple RSS do’s and

don’ts will get you started on the path to RSS success.

About the Author:

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll

http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing and

publishing RSS feeds and NotePage, Inc.

http://www.notepage.net a wireless messaging software

company.

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