Here's How I Create Killer Content
I know there is training and a lot of additional information on creating content inside the WA.
But I still get emails and PMs from members who are still struggling with content creation. So I thought I would show you my process and how I go about things. Of course, some of this is information is stuff I've learned from here and my own experience.
So here we go...
You’ve heard it a million times “content is king”.
But it's just not any old content is king.
High-quality informative engaging content is what’s king.
And it’s this type (level) of content that will be the driving force that generates traffic to your website.
A website that provides this level of content will be always be rewarded by Google. Sites like these are known as Authority Sites.
So in order to create high-quality content and have your site become an authority site not only in the eyes of the search engines but in the eyes of your niche.
You first need to...
Focus Correctly
As a website owner (writer) you must remember you’re creating the content for people NOT for the search engines.
It’s people that are coming to your site, it’s people reading your content. It's people who are going to be engaged on your site.
People will also be sharing what they have found on your site through social media. It’s people that you’re building trust with, it's people you're building your brand with.
People are building your mailing list. And it's these same people that are purchasing products and services because of you and your content.
So many people get wrapped up and so worried about the search engines they forget who really reads the content. And it's people.
The search engine is just a mindless algorithm. It's doesn't hate you, love you, or know you.
So ALWAYS remember your site is for people FIRST, not the search engines.
Yes, there are things you need to do (SEO) but not at the cost of creating less value for your visitors.
So always make sure your content is interesting, has real value, is engaging, relevant and is focused on your visitor.
Effort
Quality content takes work. It takes effort and time. So don’t just bang out any old content just so you have content on your site. This will come back and bite you in the butt, guaranteed.
I know I wouldn't return to a site that has lousy half-ass content. And nor would you.
So you need to spend time researching the topics you’re going to be writing about.
That’s why building your business in a niche that you’re passionate about makes researching and creating content so much easier. If you’re digging the topic you're writing about you’ll create much better content.
Plus your content is a reflection of you, so use your content to create your brand – be original. Stand out from the crowd, be candid and don’t be afraid to be opinionated.
Stir the pot baby!
Which bring me to....
Be Yourself!!
On all my sites and here in WA, I am who I am. I'm straightforward, to the point, and very honest - I never lie. I can't lie I have a shitty memory. Great liars have great memories.
Some people love that about me and some people don't. Either way that's who I am. And to all the haters - suck it up princess and deal with it!!
I was once told if you don't have haters you're not doing things right - so I guess I'm good - LOL
Because of who I am I will resonate with the people I'm supposed to resonate with - everyone else doesn't matter, simply because we don't connect.
Remember you’re creating an experience – you want your site to be remembered and to become the go-to authority within your niche.
And that’s never going to happen if you create half-assed content and pretend to be someone you're not.
Getting Ranked In The SERPS
It’s your ranked content that’s going to generate that all-important traffic to your site.
And when I say ranked I mean your goal is to be on the first page of the search engine results for your keyword(s).
I always shoot for the top spot, and so should you.
But I do consider it a win if I’m on the first page of the SERPS (Search Engine Results Page). My content can always climb to the top over time.
Of course, not everything is going to hit #1 or make it to the first page. But that's my intent with every piece of content I create - to be #1.
Now I’m not going to go into keyword research here as it's covered in the training, but it’s important that you do your keyword research in order for your content to have the chance to be ranked high in the SERPS. Without this step you're chances of high rankings are slim to none.
Also with the recent and I’m sure many future updates to Google’s algorithm you want to focus your content creation for your site first, not places like article directories, blog networks and such.
These places have lost their power and many have been seriously de-ranked never to gain any authority again.
Not to mention the backlinks from these places can be very harmful to your site and can harm your site's overall ranking big time. So it’s not worth your time or energy. Simply don't bother.
Even the wealthy affiliates Street Articles directory no longer exists. Because Kyle and Carson know that placing your content on your site is the best and fastest way of getting your content indexed and ranked.
So remember this:
The Content That You Create Always Goes On Your Site First!!
After you’ve done your keyword research and have discovered the low-hanging fruit (keywords easy to rank for) you’re going to take this information and create content around it.
Whether you’re creating a Post or a Page you want to use your keyword phrase as your title and then in the first paragraph of your content and after that just right naturally.
Sorry, write some kick-ass top-notch content naturally!!
After you’ve created your content and posted it on your website make sure you share it through your social networks. You want to get this great content out to your audience.
Doing this also gives your social audience the opportunity to share your content with their social audience.
You can even create a short PowerPoint video and put that on your YouTube channel and on post page of your site. A properly SEO'ed video tend to rank faster and higher so it's something to really consider.
Also, be sure to request indexing of your content in Google's Search Console.
If you're not sure how to do that. Here's a video from Greg showing how easy it is.
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/request-indexing-fr...
And if you want to learn more about keyword research I did a post that outlines the exact process I use. Here's the link.
Writing With A Purpose (intent)
Kyle talks about this all the time. And by simply using this thought process you can skyrocket your conversions and engagement big time!!
When you create your content you must have a goal in mind. Meaning what is your intent with this content other than providing valuable information to the reader?
What action do you want the reader to take? You always what to have your reader take some sort of action.
You don’t want people to just come to your site and read your content and then leave. So within your content, you want to have subtle calls to action, this is your intent.
Now, these calls to action could be to sign up for your newsletter, take a course, take a survey or click through an affiliate link.
Maybe you're using the comparison charts that you can create in your WA affiliate dashboard.
Or you've create your own comparison and you have a link where you can lead your reader to another resource on your site.
No matter what it is you want people to do, the one thing to remember with these subtle calls to action. They MUST be naturally written within your content.
Meaning they must tie into the content and be very relevant to the content. They must seamlessly flow within the content.
And the best way to do that is to use text links for the call to action. As you can see in the image below I have set a very subtle link within my content.
Also when it comes to your links Google does not like content filled with a lot of outbound affiliate links. Meaning affiliate links that go off-site.
Now it’s not that you can’t do it. And if you do - do it sparingly.
But it’s far better to link your own content to other relevant pillar pages within your site whenever possible and have your affiliate link(s) on that page.
By doing this you’re telling Google that your other content is valuable, and it's so valuable that you link to it.
And by doing this you're creating a natural internal linking strategy on your site. Google likes this and will reward you with better indexing, rankings, and credibility.
Also linking to a page that goes into greater detail about whatever it is you we talking about will increase the chances of conversions (revenue).
So for example;
I’m a member of the Wealthy Affiliate and if I was writing content and within that content, I made a reference or comparison to the Wealthy Affiliate.
I would link to the review page that’s on my site that I've done about the wealthy affiliate, not directly to the Wealthy Affiliate website.
Like I said internal linking works in your favor in two ways. Google likes it and I’ve provided more information to my visitor. Win-Win.
Also when possible link to an authority site that supports your content. For example, you could like to Wikipedia or another authority site within your niche or even a news site.
Kyle's has a few training's about writing with intent, here's the links to those:
Affiliate boot camp knowing your audience
Writing with intent amplifying your engagement
Use Of Images
Images are important, they provide a break from just one big block of content and gives our brains a chance to reset.
Plus images can convey more information faster. You’ve heard the saying “A picture is worth a thousands words”
The best place to have your images is to the right of your content like you see here in the image below from one of my posts.
The reason is we rely on the left margin to be our anchor – it’s a place we can return to with our eye.
You never want to break the left margin with images – if you do the eye path is interrupted along with your readers train of thought and you don’t want to lose the readers attention - ever!!.
Now you can place images in the middle of my copy. And I’ve done that myself.
And the only reason is because of the image size. And when I do I make sure it's justified to the center so things are nice and balanced.
Relevance
An image without relevance or being on target and having a purpose is a complete waste of space.
If your images have no relevance not only do they distract your reader they can give the reader the wrong impression which may make them feel misled or even lied to. So we don't want to go down that road - ever!!
I know that's not your intent, but the subconscious mind is a very powerful thing.
The best images to use are ones that provide either story appeal or demonstrate.
- An image that adds story appeal is an image that helps the reader understand the story behind your content.
- An image that demonstrates - that's pretty straightforward, it's an image that’s demonstrating something you’ve said in your content.
And use your images sparingly – more is not better.
For the most part and depending on the type and length of the post - I find 3 or 4 images is usually good.
Ask For Comments
At the end of every post/page it’s a good idea to ask for comments, questions, share experiences, and to share your content with their audience.
Don't assume people will do this. You always have to tell people what to do.
So why do it?
You want to get a dialogue going, you want to encourage engagement from your readers. Also, Google loves content that has engagement.
So it’s a win/win – your readers win and you win.
Here's a sample of what I've placed at the end of my content. I usually play around with the ending but the intent is the same, I want to start a conversation.
I hope you found this post helpful. If so, feel free to share it with your audience, and if you have any questions or comments please leave them below.
And as always anytime you need a hand you can email me here or even better you can Chat Live one-on-one with me inside the wealthy affiliate.
I believe in you!!
Leo
Be Yourself
I touched on this earlier, but it's so important.
When it comes to writing you’re not Hemingway so don’t try and write like him. Be yourself – write the way you would talk. Let your personality shine.
Will everyone like it - NO - Does it matter - NO
So don't worry about pleasing everyone, because you can't do it. And if you try to please everyone your content will suck. And it sucks because it's not you.
If you're struggling to write. Think of one person and pretend you're sitting at the kitchen table or where ever you're comfortable and you're talking just to them.
Now just start writing. And don't stop. You can fix spelling mistakes, the order of things, and other errors and make things look pretty later.
If you stop to fix things as you go - you WILL kill your mojo and the flow, just keep writing and don't stop!!
And remember, like anything, the more and more you do it the more natural and easy it becomes.
Conclusion
The 3 main search engines Google, Bing, and Yahoo are responsible for 98% of the searches online and they are constantly craving high-quality content.
It’s not real rocket science – Great content leads to Rankings in the search engines and ranking leads to Traffic and that traffic leads to Revenue.
So give the search engines what they want “Quality Content” and they will give you what you want “Traffic”.
Don't ever over complicate things - simply create great content and you'll be fine.
I hope you found this helpful
I believe in you!
Leo
Recent Comments
72
Thank you so much again, Leo. Running out of nice things to say but I do hope you know that all these training blogs are completely appreciated.
Many thanks and take care.
Lynn
You're very welcome, glad I can help in some small way - and happy to hear you're enjoying them - I've got a few more coming in the next few days -
Leo as I was reading your post, It felt like we were sitting at my kitchen table and you were just having a conversation with me about writing great content. Well done. Your style of writing makes it (content writing) effortless and inspires me more than you know!
Thanks for once again reading my mind. I am working on a post and I think I am overthinking - no I am sure I am.
I appreciate you!
Blessing to you my friend.
Angela
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That is awesome Leo thank you so much some real gems I really like your conclusion we can overcomplicate things.
You're welcome.
Yeah we do complicate things - I'm a path of least resistant kind of guy - why work hard when you can work smart
So true Leo that is something that I need to keep on my radar, thanks again for the excellent blue print you have provided.