Websites 101
Part II - Tips on Providing Great Content on Your Site

Flash animations and great colors won't keep visitors coming back to your site. Visitors return to sites for two reasons only: the products are what they want to buy or the content is of value to them. If your site isn't attracting the visitors you want, it could be because you're not providing quality content. Below are some tips that will help your content stand apart from the competition.

Make Your Content Error-Free

Whatever your topics, the content on your site should be free of grammatical and spelling errors. Nothing turns off visitors more than reading articles that contain obvious errors.

Research Your Content Well

It's amazing how much misinformation appears on the Internet. If you're providing biographies, for instance, make sure the birth and death dates are correct. If you're providing information about technology, it shouldn't be outdated. If the content on your site is about business, make sure all the quotes are correctly attributed. Whatever your topic, even a tiny error will stand out.

Write for Your Audience

The average reading level of the Internet user is 12th grade. Yes, you read that right. If you put content on your site that is filled with long sentences and words most people don't know, it will only turn visitors off. If your site is meant to appeal to a certain group of academics, you won't have to worry about the long words. But if you're providing information to the general public, your articles need to be written in a manner they'll understand.

Refresh Your Content Often

Visitors will return to your site more often if you have fresh content. There's nothing more boring than visiting a site that has the same articles and photos that have been on the site for months.

Target Content to Your Visitors

By targeting your visitors with content they can use, you can be sure they'll return. Not only that, but they will recommend your site to their friends and may even link to your site on their site. Even though not all visitors will return, relevant content will increase the chances that they'll return.

Don't Just Sell Products

If you have a retail site, you can impress people with articles that pertain to the products you sell. If you sell jewelry, you can have articles about the history of jewelry or the qualities a person should look for when buying antique jewelry. If your site markets electronics, consider providing buyer's guides for the various products. Articles about various sports greats will ensure your visitors spend more time on your site, and the more time they spend, the more likely they'll buy.

If You're Not A Writer, Don't Write Your Own Content

If you want quality content and you're not a writer, don't write your own content. At the very least, hire an editor to edit what you write. But make it easy on yourself and your visitors by using only content that has been written by professional writers. Many people want to be writers. Professional writers know that writing takes time and skill. Without the skills, your writing will look amateurish and that won't help you achieve your goals.

So, how do you find good content? You can use a "content provider" that offers individual articles of different lengths, packages of articles and even photos at reasonable prices, as well as free headlines. Take a look at MedioCom.net. It's one of the best sites around for well-written articles and quality images. They'll even create custom content.

Quality content for your site is not a pipe dream. It is available, and it will make all the difference in whether your visitors return and increase.

NEXT : Web Building 101, pt 3 - Choosing the Right Words!