5 Vital Elements Missing from Your Online Content

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There is no denying that, no matter what algorithms Google has changed, content is still king. A business that keeps a website is more likely to attract the interest of potential customers. According to eMarketer, 60% of marketers state that they create a minimum of one new piece of content each month. However, it is easy to miss some key features in your online content. By focusing on these elements, you can make your website stand out from your competitors.

1. Mobile Responsiveness

Smart Insights reports that 80% of Internet users own a smartphone. With more and more people accessing the Internet via their mobile devices, optimizing your online content for mobile just makes sense. You can write the best content in the world, but if people on their smart phones or tablets can’t view it, then you are missing out on a big part of your audience.

Alan Ilyaich, Co-Owner or Eco Choice Windows & Doors mentions the importance of adding mobile capability to your website. He points out that a lot of small businesses just want to get a website out fast to reach customers. However, he points out that you should also think about the mobile version of your website if you want to take advantage of the huge audience that could be finding you via their phones or tablets.

“The amount of people browsing the web on mobile devices now surpasses desktop, and this trend is only going to increase. Subsequently, mobile-first indexing is just one of the many recent Google algorithm updates that are beginning to weigh the mobile version of a website heavier than the desktop version. To make sure you are positioning yourself and your small business for success online, make sure your website is fully responsive, meaning that all elements of your website display and function effectively on a variety of devices,” Ilyaich shared.

2. Storytelling

Kristen Matthews wrote a case study over on Convince and Convert about how Huggies utilized storytelling to have an impact on their audience. It is a good study that shows how storytelling has a magical power to draw in consumers and make them care about your brand.

Huggies and their marketing expert decided to reach out to expectant moms. The goal was to engage before the moms had their babies and create an emotional connection. The resulting video caused people to almost cry when they saw it, because of the strong emotional connection viewers had to the video.

As a service business, you have the opportunity to reach people on the level of home and family, home safety, and other important issues. How can you turn these opportunities into storytelling that will reach your leads on a personal level?

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Just throwing content up on a website isn’t enough. In Search Engine Land’s Local Consumer Review Survey for 2012, they found that about 85% of consumers have searched for local businesses online. If you want people to find you when they search for local HVAC companies, then you must pay attention to SEO.

David Laplante, owner of Advanced HVAC in Ottawa, Ontario shared how important he feels optimizing your content is. “Many small businesses don’t realize how much optimizing their content for SEO could help them gain for site visitors, leads and conversions.”

Laplante mentions that even small changes can have a big impact. “Make sure your pages have effective headings and optimize your headings and content for keywords that are likely to lead to search traffic. [This can] make a world of difference and really improve your website performance.”

4. Images

Content marketing is about more than just text. Visual marketing is equally important to the success of your website. When a relevant image is added to information, people remember about 65% of that information three days later.

You can weave in images by adding infographics, charts, graphs, and professional looking photos that enhance the understanding of the content. As with other content, don’t just add an image to add one. An image should be a natural reflection of the text and to help enhance understanding.

5. Unique Information

So much of the information online is just a regurgitation of facts. While that is fine when you are adding in statistics or sharing case studies, you also need to balance that information with some unique bits of info that readers can’t find anywhere else.

For example, in this article, there are two unique quotes from people who answered questions specifically for this article in their various areas of expertise. As a business owner, you can call on suppliers for quotes, use information from your own technicians, or pull in outside experts who have something to add to the conversation. Doing so will enrich your content.

Writing good content isn’t enough in today’s competitive online marketplace. Your content must be spectacular. By focusing on even the small details, you can easily accomplish this and attract more traffic than ever before.

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Posted In: ACCA Now, Technology