Great content is critical to success with web marketing. You need great blog posts, great landing pages, great social media posts, great email copy, and on and on. So how do you know if your content really is great? And how do you know if your website content sucks? Here are 5 common mistakes that lead to crummy content…
1. You’re Using Non-Native Writers
This is the cardinal sin. Sure, it’s amazingly cheap to hire writers from China, India, or other offshore locations. And yes, some of what they write is “passable.” But at the end of the day, you just cannot get quality writing from non-native writers. Of course, I’m speaking about English here but the same applies to any language. Hire a content writing service with writers who speak & write your target language fluently & natively.
2. You’re Not A Copywriter
This is the second most common mistake. In order to save on outsourcing, you’re trying to do all of the writing yourself. This is usually good idea if you’re an author, speaker, or similar type of professional. But even then, it’s not necessary for 100% of your content. More importantly, writing your own content is NEVER a good idea if you’re not a trained copywriter. At the very least, you should study some essential copywriting tips for websites.
3. You’re Too Focused On SEO
Yes, you want your website optimized for search engine performance. You also want your content to be SEO-Friendly. Just be sure you don’t cross the line and get overzealous with your “content optimization” work. In fact, I always recommend starting every blog post or landing page by thinking about your readers and your prospects first. SEO should be one of the final steps in your content publishing process.
4. You’re Not Creating Enough Content
Some small businesses are great at producing quality content and great at optimizing it for SEO just the right amount. Where they fail, though, is in the consistency. You need to be publishing blog posts at least several times per week and adding new landing pages (or improving existing pages) every month.
5. You’re Writing For You
Be sure when you sit down to write content (or your hired writer does it for you) that you start by putting yourself in your customer’s shoes. The blog posts, landing pages, and web content is NOT for you. It’s for your target market. Spend a lot of time thinking about what they need and what they want to know.
What else would you add to this list? Leave your comment below.
