The Truth About Content Development
Are we too focused on generating website visitors rather than writing better content?
We learn a lot from being Wealthy Affiliate members. We learn about lots of quantitative factors related to building websites. Factors include keywords, SEO, and other measurable things.
More often than not, I think we are writing for Google instead of our readers.
I read a lot of Wealthy Affiliate member website content via the Website Comments section. Some days I read great articles. Unfortunately, there are days when I felt my time spent reading was wasted.
I wanted to comment with a "reject, do it over" or words to that effect.
I admit I am nowhere near Hemingway as a writer. However, I am getting better because I work at it.
Years ago, someone said one of my blog posts was pedantic.
I have not forgotten. I study and practice to avoid being pedantic.
More recently, it was sobering to learn that 91% of website content gets no traffic from Google according to a recent study. I want my content to be in the 9% category.
I struggle to finish reading some blog posts and website content as they are so annoying. They are not in the 9% category.
Are we drowning in a sea of mediocrity?
What can we do to improve our quality of writing?
Recent Comments
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Hi Glen, really enjoyed your perspective on this, the amount of content generated daily is mind-boggling.
Like all things that quality is across the board, the stats that you present are scary, so the best thing to do is to create using some tried and true formulas like we are taught here in WA.
Reading the article, you referred to their reflections on backlinks concerning creating and or maintaining traffic which is the lifeblood of any online endeavor was a point of relevance.
When it comes to backlinks there are so many opinions it can be hard to see the forest for the trees, my perspective is changing definitely something to explore me thinks.
Alex
Thanks, Alex. Back in the day, I spent a lot of time trying to build backlinks. Now, if they happen, they happen. I think I am better off creating good content and letting backlinks occur organically.
I watched Jay's training on home pages earlier today, which gave me some ideas. So I just spent the afternoon building a new homepage to split test.
I think as more people join the internet and maintain blogs the mediocrity is going to increase.
There are programs around to help develop your English but many don't use them or think they know better.
Derek
I agree, Derek. I blogged the other day about the readability tools I use as well as some others I found. I use Grammarly, which helps me.
For fun, I copied part of an article from Medium and checked it with Grammarly. Grammarly found no errors or grammatical mistakes. Not that I was expecting any.
It just shows the difference in the quality of what I write vs. an expert.
Thanks for your insightful topic, Glen.
Give me food for thought, although I have not written a lot.
"What can we do to improve our quality of writing?"
I think that is why a lot of us are writing blogs here, to improve our writing and also English, and the most important, to learn.
Very appropriate post. I have started writing a new Blog for my website on this very topic. Great job indeed Glen!
Edwin
That is a great question!
I have just started and have only written my “about me” and my first post... I’m actually quite happy with what I wrote but I’m struggling to think what will come next?
How do you come up with relevant content for your websites?
I’d love to hear :)
There are two categories, when it comes down to it.
1. Things people "need" or "should" know about.
2. Things people are searching for.
Most of WA is centered around # 2, and you'll learn as you go through the training more on this. You've already been exposed to key word research, I'm sure.
Personally I struggle with wanting to get more of # 1 out. It's the problem with the paradigm, I think.
You don't always know what you need to know, although you might think you do, if that makes sense ( I mean the general you as in people in general).
Does make sense!
Thank you
But how do you make even what people are searching for always interesting to read and relevant is my dilemma...
I look at Google trends and trendhunter to see what interests/topics are trending. Plus I do research using Jaaxy as well as Google searches. Wealthy Affiliate training is good in this area.
IMO it depends on your niche.
I find it strange when folks post about things that are completely outside their niche.
Hopefully it's something that interests and inspires you. You'll always have ideas churning around in your brain.
Many ideas will come to you at random times. Maybe when you're laying down to bed or eating breakfast.
I'm a big proponent of keeping a list of ideas that you can refer back to.
In my veterinary business, I'd have to count but I have about 50 topics waiting to be written about, and I'm generally adding more ideas faster than I can write. But the ideas come during the day, during work, encountering different situations.
In my lawn and garden business, ideas come to me not surprisingly while I am working on the lawn.
Very dependent on your niche.
Thank you very much!
I’d love read some of your articles if that’s ok.
I’m writing about happiness and mental health and that’s something I love to talk about and I have ideas everyday just talking to my friends.
But I’ve never written them before, never tried to turn them into an article worth reading so it’s all very new and a bit scary to me.
Thank again for your time!
Hi, Glen.
When I google "Are we drowning in a sea of mediocrity?" the top results are related to wine and beer.
When I google "What can we do to improve our quality of writing?"
I get something interesting on top of what is listed back from google:
Did you mean: "What can we do to improve your quality of writing?"
See, there is always someone/something to take care of your problem.
One challenge I have here sometimes is with the length of the post.
I want to read it to the end, but I have not allocated the time to do so.
If we have a lengthy post, my thoughts are to post that lengthy post on your website, then post only a preview here with "read more here."
I'm not sure how that might violate 'self-promotion' though.
This platform has come a long way since I first joined back in 2016.
I thank you for always being awesome with your contributions.
Are we drowning in a sea of mediocrity...you are if you want to be is the simple answer.
What can we do to improve our quality of writing?
Install Grammarly and maybe one other follow-up editor before it becomes before you as the one to place the seal.
Thank you again, Glen.
@PMindra from Canada.
Thank you, Paul. I appreciate your thoughtful comment and recommendation.
I said "our writing" because I included myself thinking that I am not a very good writer.
I try to keep my Wealthy Affiliate blog posts short. I prefer to write posts that are 200-300 words so that they are quick and informational.
I don't like to read long WA blog posts. I often quit in the middle if they are too long.
Cheers.
Cheers back, Glen.
In the case of many lengthy posts here at WA, what are your thoughts about having a portion of the post here and then linking back to the origin?
Do you know if this is allowed?
I think I'll struggle to say what I mean in this reply but I'll have bash. It seems that there are now so many boxes we have to tick in order to supposedly meet the criteria needed to satisfy the search engines. Is it possible that by doing this, our content becomes 'manufactured'. Maybe we forget that we're writing for 'someone' rather than 'something.'
Sometimes live interaction help me. I've taken part in a writers' group recently, and it's made me more aware of good writing.
Joining a writers' group is a good idea. So far I have been reading in my spare time as well as take a copywriter course more out of curiosity than anything else.
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Thanks Glen
You're welcome, Juliet.
Cheer.