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In our digital age, content reigns supreme. The copy writing on your website tells the story of your business or organization, and can make or break the way it performs online. It’s becoming increasingly important that you are considering how your website is presenting itself. A solid content strategy can boost your work and reach it to places you’ve never imagined possible.

You can improve your content today without having to implement a complicated marketing strategy. Content and SEO experts can start to feel intimidating when they talk analytics, KPIs, domain ranking, or use other fancy jargon, but the bottom line is: search engines are looking for the human voice behind your brand. There are a few simple steps that you can start practicing now to increase traffic to your blog or website and build a supportive customer base.

1: Determine what you already know

Odds are that you’re working on something similar today that you were working on yesterday. Starting with what you’re already an expert in will make your content strategy a million times easier to execute.

Be clear about where you are and where you want to be. That will help you determine what kind of content you need to be targeting with your business. Are you clear about what your business offers, and about the direction you want it to take? What kind of work do you want to see your business do in one, two, or five years from now?

Take a few moments to write down what your expertise is in. Don’t be afraid to go into detail. Even if it feels mundane or normal to you, it could be mind-blowing to your next potential reader.

2: Write down the most common questions you receive

What kind of questions do you receive on a regular basis? Even something as simple as meeting someone new and having to talk about what you do can be a tongue twister. Maybe you’ve found yourself frustrated answering the same question over, and over, and over…

Start with a writing exercise by jotting down every question down that you received recently, even if it includes questions you heard from your friends or family. Brainstorm ways you can re-phrase what currently lives on your website to better answer that, or create a blog article that answers one of those questions.

Next time someone asks, not only will you be able to answer them with confidence, but you can point them to the part on your website that answers that question to increase traffic!

3: Think outside of the box

Even if your business focuses on one topic, that doesn’t mean your blog has to. cityhomeCOLLECTIVE is a real estate agency, but their blog covers a variety of topics from community events, restaurants, to DIY projects.

Imagine who your customer is. Sometimes it may help to create a character profile for them. What other content are they reading? What are their likes, and dislikes? What do they spend their time thinking about?

Cater to other interests outside of just what you can offer with your business. Often, having a variety of content can draw someone in you might not have been able to reach by only focusing on one topic of interest.

4: Interview a loyal customer or friend

Interviewing others takes a load off of you to come up with content. Ask someone if you can record a short conversation over a cup of coffee or on the phone. Even a ten minute conversation can provide you with enough content for a blog post, or it may spark new ideas for an area of your website that could use some sprucing up!

5: Check for typos

A typo can stick out like a sore thumb, and overshadow the message you’re trying to communicate. It’s easy to make mistakes, and a lot harder to catch them. Spell checkers can only do so much. Having another pair of eyes is great for the feedback someone may provide, and your odds go up that one of you will catch that tiny little comma you missed.

If there’s no one around to read over what you wrote, download Grammarly or the Hemingway app. You can also outsource an editor to offer feedback, revisions, or a rewrite. You may even be able to bribe your friends by offering them a snack or a tip on Venmo (wink wink).

6: Be AUTHENTIC!

Search engine algorithms are becoming more sophisticated every day. They are not only crawling your website to try and understand what it’s there for, but they’re looking for spamming tactics used to try and “cheat the system” to rank higher in search results. Link baiting or keyword stuffing can actually damage your ranking and take months to undo.

The more authentic and genuine you are with your content, the more likely you are to attract customers that you can build long-term relationships with.

What are some other content tips that you’ve found worked well for you? Do you have any content goals going into this new year? Leave a comment on this post and let’s hear your insight!