How to create great content for SEO
Many an SEO professional will tell you that creating great content is the single best thing you can do for long-term sustainability in the search engines is creating and publishing great content. I agree; great content accomplishes many things such as natural inbound links, and builds trust with your target market.
However, creating great content is easier said than done. Luckily, by studying how other companies have succeeded we can see some potential paths to take. Below are some categories of great content and examples of people who do great content correctly.
Create a Great Webcomic
These are humorous comic strips which typically can be digested by the reader and, if topical/humorous, will be passed along to a buddy or two. Here are some examples of effective webcomics:
xckd
This is widely known as THE webcomic for the tech savvy. Cornering a market (a very large one) has afforded them tons of exposure.
business guy on business trips
This is a humorous comic strip about the web side of the marketing industry… Updated only once a week, but still had no problem building a Google Pagerank of 4.
Churn Out The Funny
Not unlike webcomics, funny articles use humor to generate lots of interest in their sites.
people of walmart
This site features lots of pictures of interesting sights of people you might see while shopping at Wal-Mart. This makes for a truly hilarious result.
the onion
The onion has long been considered the best satire site on the web. Every day, they put out multiple fake news stories with funny headlines.
Be First
These sites have the latest news before anyone else. This leads people to constantly check back for updates, and when the story hits, the link they share comes from this site. Depending on the niche, this type of site can require a team of writers if you want to compete with the big boys.
engadget
Engadget is a team of bloggers which typically break news stories on a daily basis. They are often the first to break the story, which is why a lot of people consider the site valuable. They have a team of more than 20.
joystiq
Joystiq is the sister site of Engadget, which covers video game news with reckless abandon. Gamers know that they will get up-to-the-minute information from this site. They have a team of about 14 editors.
Come Original
By creating a content format which is innovative, people will remember you since you're the only one doing it.
zero punctuation
This guy creates no-nonsense video game reviews which are animated, hilarious, witty, and unlike anything else out there. This guy is the star of the site, which is an online gaming magazine.
the oatmeal
This one-man operation is a collection of hilarious illustrated graphics which sometimes have serious subjects but are often zany and off-the-wall.
Let Your Users Create Content For You
Your users have a lot to say, so let them do it. For this area, try to find an avenue which hasn't been done before.
youtube
YouTube allows anyone to upload any video they want. Chances are that you know all about YouTube, so I'll move on.
icanhazcheeseburger
This site is basically a wizard which allows people to create images in the theme of a meme created by the site's owners. People basically use the site's tools to create funny pictures which are easily shared with their friends.
Facebook is a link magnet, because most people like it and almost everyone is on it.
fpsbuddy
FPSBuddy is a video game fansite which has a tool for people to find buddies to game with. It's a simple concept which doesn't allow spam and gets the job done very quickly.
Make a Video and/or Podcast
These sites have good videos, which may or may not be distributed as podcasts.
wine library tv
Gary Vaynerchuk single-handedly used video to transform his parent's successful liquor store into a VERY successful wine shop. To save time, he does not do post production, he just shoots, adds an intro, and sends to his huge fanbase which he has built over the years.
diggnation
Kevin Rose, owner of Digg and Revision3, used a weekly video show to cross-promote his businesses. His businesses are a social bookmarking website and podcast production company.
Applying These Concepts To Your Site
Now that you have seen some examples of some great content, it's time to do some brainstorming for your site. There are an unlimited number of ways to create something great, but the most important thing is that you start trying something NOW!
