It may seem simple to sit at your laptop and create content that shows how awesome you are. And it is simple. Type it out and add it to your website. But carving out your online presence in the digital marketplace is kind of hard work. And it requires something special called value-added content.
You have probably been here. You have a website and have linked all your social media. You produced the content for your website that best exemplifies your products and services. With excitement, you pushed “publish” and waited for all the clients to come to you. And then…crickets.
What gives? Where did you go wrong, and what can you do to get back on track? How do you drive your website up through the search rankings and into the minds of potential clients and customers? What is the key to a well-performing website?
The secret sauce may be value-added content. If you’re ready for expert help with this component of your marketing, reach out to ALYKY today.
What Is Value-Added Content?
You know that you need to put stuff on your website to make sure Google knows you are there. (Sorry, Explorer, Bing, and Yahoo…we know you care, too.) One detail can make all the difference between content that sits there and content that ranks well and converts at a high rate.
Value-added content is exclusive to your website and personalized to your business. Standard content may exist in some form on other sites in the ever-expanding web, making it difficult for yours to stand out. But value-added content is something that your clients and customers can only get from one place. That one place is your website.
Why is Value-Added Content Important?
Search engines love this stuff. Those brainy little algorithms are searching for unique content like videos, detailed analyses, instructional materials, and more.
To understand the difference, it can help to think of the difference between an old flip phone and an iPhone. You don’t have to look far to see the difference there, right? One is a phone, and the other is the entire world in the palm of your hand. What doesn’t an iPhone do?
You need to start thinking about your content the way Apple thinks about their phones. It’s time to move beyond basic and add value to your content that makes your website irreplaceable, just like your iPhone.
Content is King But Added Value Content is…
To revise a now-famous adage, content is not king. Value-added content is royalty now. The more you can update your website with value-added content, the better it will perform in search rankings. High rankings make it more likely your visitors will convert into buyers.
The web is no different than the real world. You have to take the time and effort to make people feel like they are somewhere special. Make sure they know that your website is crucial to their success because it contains exclusive content.
So how do you go about creating this amazing value-added content? It’s as easy as 1-2-3 (and 4-5-6).
Six Excellent Ways to Include Value-Added Content
1. Videos
Google loves videos. And, it turns out, customers love them too. Consumers overwhelmingly want to see brands produce more video content, with 87% saying so. But you can’t just hit the YouTube drive-through and pick up a couple of videos and post them. That’s not how value-added content works. You need to have your own videos that are unique to your site and brand.
The good news is that videos are so much easier to produce than they used to be. Heck, anyone with one of those super cool iPhones can pretty much make a movie now. So don’t let a lack of professional tools be an obstacle.
You don’t have to make the next Citizen Kane every time you want to have a video on your website. Humans are visual and love to look at screens. They aren’t expecting every video to be Oscar-worthy. So the next time you are going to explain something about your company, consider recording it and posting the video to your site.
You can also look into producing “explainer” videos for your website. These are brief, one or two-minute videos that explain what you can do for your clients. Generally, these videos use animation or static images, so there is no need to worry about cameras, lighting, or other video equipment.
The internet is full of “explainer” video examples and tools to make your own. You can also hire out the process of creating these videos for great value-added content.
2. Testimonials
Don’t we all love a good testimony? When purchasing online, most people go straight to the reviews before making a decision. People want to know how a real user of the product felt about it. Your website is no different. Leverage your client success stories as testimonials on your website, and make them prominent. The key to converting and retaining clients is connecting with them. Testimonials make this possible. They allow the potential customer to imagine how great of a job you will do for them, too.
Now, if you happened to put on your thinking cap before reading this blog, you may be saying to yourself, “Hey, I could make a video of one of my client’s testimonials.” And you would be one hundred percent correct. What a great way to add tremendous value in the form of a video while boasting about how awesome your products and services are. Great job, thinking cap!
3. Promotions and Giveaways
Who doesn’t like free stuff? Free offerings are a great way to pull visitors to your site and are great options for landing pages. Even if you offer a service rather than a tangible product to sell, you still can run a great promotion or offer some enticing giveaways. There are many ways to add value to your website visitors’ experience.
If you sell a product, consider offering:
- Free shipping on qualified orders
- A coupon code for a percentage off a certain dollar amount
- A gift with every order over a specific amount
For service-based businesses, try offering these options to visitors who join your email list or set up a consultation with you:
- A free download with tips that would help your potential clients
- A brief e-book that addresses a common problem your ideal customer encounters
Adding a promotion or giveaway to your website draws in visitors and encourages them to take action. All of this will increase your web search rankings. Once you get a promotional campaign up and running, it will reward you with improved visibility and happy clients.
4. Infographics
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an infographic must be worth a hundred thousand. Infographics have undergone an enormous change in the last few years. They pop up all over the place, on television commercials, in print, and, of course, online.
Infographics are great at disseminating complicated information simply and efficiently and are very easy on the eyes. Their visual appeal is another bonus when it comes to rankings. Search engines reward content that is simple to track visually. Infographics incorporate colors, shapes, and all that technical design stuff like negative space and proportion.
Don’t worry if you are not a graphic designer. Creating an infographic can be as basic as making a chart in Excel and posting it on your website. You can also look into infographic tools that are available online.
There are paid and free options out there, so take some time and explore your choices.
5. Excellent Blogs That Dive Deep
As you build all of your value-added content, don’t neglect the power of your blog. You may already have one on your page, so make sure you utilize it. Consistency is the key here. You need to offer fresh, insightful, content that delves down into topics and educates your web audience. There is no substitute for an expertly-crafted blog.
The stats don’t lie. Websites with a regular blog posting schedule will attract over 50% more traffic than websites without this component. Remember. You want your site to be an iPhone, not a flip phone. Focus on excellent content that adds value to your potential customer’s experience.
Your blog can tie much of your value-added content together. The videos and infographics should show up in your blog to engage your website visitors quickly and effectively. And if all of this is our of your comfort zone, don’t worry. The ALYKY strategists have you covered.
6. Knowledge Base
Since you want to establish yourself as the expert your visitors need, consider offering a beginning knowledge base on your website. This type of value-added content allows you to appease the Google gods and improve your customer’s understanding of what you do.
A couple of suggestions for a basic knowledge base include:
Glossary: If your product or service requires some explanation, you can incorporate a glossary of the terms that are specific to your industry. People who understand what you do are much more likely to purchase from you.
Help Articles: Everyone needs help now and then. Including some basic help articles on your site will save you time in answering repeat questions. It also will allow you to keep building value-added content to your website.
ALYKY Can Help
Do you feel overwhelmed by all the content you could and should add to your website? Give the ALYKY content team a call today to set up a consultation. We are here to be your expert content strategists who help you build your business.
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