If you’ve ever visited an outdated website, you know that it doesn’t look very inviting or engaging to people who stumble upon it. Companies that don’t update and revise items on their websites tend to look obsolete. Failure to maintain fresh content on your site or social media platforms does more than just make you look outdated; it can impact your SEO and reduce the number of potential customers that can find you online.
It’s no secret that keeping your website, social media accounts, and blog updated is important to generate traffic, keep people interested and engaged when on your sites, and maintain SEO. But the question that often arises is how to get that content. Many small businesses don’t have a dedicated copywriter or content manager on staff, nor do they have the budget to hire for that type of position. You don’t need a full-time employee to maintain fresh content. Instead, just follow these easy tips for keeping your online presence up-to-date.
Reach Out for Guest Posts
Many companies use influencers to appeal to followers on a more personal level. Influencers can make a big difference in how your online content is viewed and received. People are more likely to engage with a real person than they are to engage with a post that feels corporate and stiff. Not only can guest posts help improve engagement, but they can also help your site become more of an authority on a specific topic.
If you choose an influencer or guest poster who has experience in a specific area, your website can set itself apart as a helpful knowledge base for that topic. When more people click on the link through a search engine, you can boost SEO. The longer people stay on the site after clicking on the link, the higher your website will appear in the list of results.
Set Up Keyword Tracking
Image via Flickr by cambodia4kidsorg
You don’t always have to produce content for it to be fresh. In fact, many businesses share content from other sources to keep things interesting on social media. Sharing through Facebook and Twitter is very easy since it requires just one click in most cases. Instead of combing through search engines and news sites to find interesting things to share, simply set up a keyword tracking feature. This tool alerts you when something that applies to your business or your clients pops up online.
Google Alerts is one of the easiest options. This versatile online tool allows you to view conversations that involve your brand, competitors, and any other keywords that you want to track. It’s also free, so there’s really no reason not to use it. When you get an alert, you can review the content and determine if it’s a good fit for your business. If so, simply share it through social media and add your own comment that helps to connect it back to your company. If it doesn’t apply, you can just move on to the next alert.
Staying connected isn’t easy, especially when you have many tasks on your plate, but it’s critical in keeping users engaged with your brand. Using a tool like Google Alerts can help you stay in the loop about any relevant conversations that are happening online.
Work with Multiple Freelancers
Image via Flickr by eelke dekker
If your company doesn’t have a copywriter or content manager on staff, you may rely on freelancers to take on the writing and editing work. This is a great option because it’s usually more affordable than the salary of a full-time employee. However, if you always use the same freelance writer, your posts tend to have the same voice, making it harder to generate fresh and appealing content. Working with multiple freelancers can change the overall tone between posts, keeping it interesting for those who regularly read the content on your site or social media account.
Freelancers also have different areas of expertise. If you want to break out of the traditional blog post rut, consider hiring someone who specializes in infographics or a list of exciting new apps to try. By using new voices, you can make the content on your site more appealing to a wider audience.
Rely on Your Followers
When you’re struggling to get engagement on your posts, it may be time to reach out to your followers and readers and find out what they want to read about and discuss. Host a poll on your Twitter or Facebook page so that readers can vote on the most interesting topics. After the results are in, make sure to give them what they want by creating a post on that topic.
If you’re struggling to get content on certain topics, look online for articles and information that you can share. When your followers share their input and receive the info they’re looking for, they are more likely to stay engaged with your site and even refer others to it.
Look at Results and Analytics
Deciding what to share and post on social media, blogs, and your company website can feel like a guessing game. Relying on analyticsfrom past content can help you decide what your readers are most interested in seeing. Google Analytics is a free option that helps you figure out what items on your website are performing the best. The tool will typically pull in information about the number of shares, likes, and comments. When you know what people want to read, you can focus on those topics and continue to expand on the posts that have generated the most engagement.
With fresh and engaging content, you can keep your company’s online presence more appealing to those who stumble upon it through a web search or who visit it regularly. It also helps people stay connected with your brand. When you keep it interesting, users are more likely to visit your site or check out your social media profile and stay a while, which in turn can boost SEO and generate traffic.
Allie graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from Brigham Young University. She has more than 10 years of experience writing copy, including blog posts, product descriptions, social media content, marketing campaigns, and digital media. In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time with her family, and volunteering with the cats at her local animal shelter.
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