Content is King

Posted by: william in SEO on Dec 14, 2009

Content

When you want to build a Web site there are many things you need to think about and plan. This series of articles will take you through the steps to creating a Web site. I will show you the decisions I needed to make and what steps I took to build a new Web site. Last week I examined some graphics tools you will need to create a full-featured Web site. This week I'll discuss how to come up with content for your site, and what types of content are already cliches on the Web.

Web Page Ideas

Once you have your tools together, you need to decide on what you want your page to be about. There are so many different Web sites, and no matter what you may think of, there is probably already at least one Web site on it. Of course, this doesn't help if you know you have a Web site in you, you just can't think of what it is yet.

Web pages can be on anything you would like to write about. Many people are selling things on the Web, as well as writing stories, telling about themselves, providing information, and much more. Your Web page or site should be about something that you feel passionate about. Get excited about your subject. When you're exited, your readers will be excited and they'll keep coming back.

Things to Avoid

There are some ideas or methods on Web pages that are Web cliches and you should try to avoid them.

• Pages without content
  There are hundreds of sites on the Web that have almost nothing on them. No, I'm not talking about the splash screens that are so popular right now, I'm talking about Web pages where there are a lot of words or pictures but there is no reason for me to go there. If you are writing about something that you care about, chances are your page will have interesting content, but if you're just putting up a page because you can, well, that is usually boringly obvious.
  
• "Under Construction"
  This is almost always a given when it comes to Web sites. If your site has no information when you put it up and promote it, most people won't come back, even if you state that the site is under construction. Create a site that has the information people want to see, and don't bore them with things they most likely already know.
  
• Lists of links
  If you are listing your favorite links, say so, and explain why each link is on the list.
  
• Huge graphics
  Previously we learned about graphic optimization tools for a reason. Huge graphics take forever to download. Yet they do make your site look nicer. Our suggestion is to use graphics, but use them sparingly. Maybe one or two images per page. Keep in mind that your site is already filled with graphics that make up the template of the site. All of these images must be downloaded to your visitors browser.