A common expression that you might hear when discussing content, web design, or general marketing is “content is king.” But what does that actually mean? What is the real value of content for businesses?

Most businesses know that they need a website, blog, and social media presence, but many don’t know exactly why that is the case.

It is vital for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

High quality content isn’t just about engaging with visitors and clients, it is actually a crucial tool for generating traffic to your website. SEO refers to the process of making websites more visible and easy to find on search engines.

SEO is one of the most complex aspects of running a website. Google (by far the most widely used search engine) is constantly changing, tweaking, and refining the search algorithms that they use to determine which pages to show you when you type in a search.

Content, however is the one constant. No matter how many times Google changes their search algorithm, one thing will always remain true: high quality content will be favoured over low quality content.

Digital content includes:

  • Websites
  • Blogs
  • Product guides
  • White papers
  • Press releases
  • Virtually any other piece of visitor-facing written material on your online property (including photos, videos, PDFs, infographics, testimonials, etc…).

According to Eric Siu, a writer with SearchEngineJournal.com, 75% of search engine users never bother to go beyond the first page of Google results. Think back to your last Google search. Did you click on one of the very first results? Statistically speaking, you almost certainly did. About 33% of clicks are on the first organic result (not a paid Google ad). Organic results are more trusted than paid ads, which is why 70-80% of users ignore the paid ads altogether.

This is all well and good, but how does SEO demonstrate the tangible value of content for your business? Well, it means that when you write content for your website, more of your pages appear in search results, and they appear higher up on the page. That translates into more clicks, more traffic, and more….

Leads and Sales

If you are a business owner ultimately your decisions boil down to profitability. Will content help your bottom line? The answer is yes.

There are many different types of content, but they all ultimately serve one purpose: to generate leads and convert those leads into sales.

According to Alex Hisaka, a writer for LinkedIn, “92% of buyers engage if the professional is a known industry thought leader” and the best way to position yourself as a thought leader is to generate content related to your industry. That is why “86% of buyers will listen if sales professionals provide insights about their business.”

High quality content with effective CTAs (calls to action) will attract leads and direct them further into your sales funnel. For websites with e-commerce capability that means redirecting visitors directly to the relevant sales platform. For brick and mortar businesses, sales-oriented content will capture leads for your sales team to follow up on.

More traffic, more sales

Effective content will help your SEO efforts, expanding your organic digital reach and translating into leads and sales. That is the value of content. Give it a try – call us today to get started!

Categories: General