Web Content Creation: Ten Approaches For Small Online Publishers

A website is more than a container for written articles, news, photos and graphics. Webmasters, authors and small online publishers must also integrate "special" and "uniquely valuable" quality themed-content into it.

Photo credit: Alex Bramwell

A so-called "sticky" website is one that attracts individuals and encourages them to return. "Sticky websites" integrate high-value content that is related and of interest to its readers.

A sticky web site is a place people will want to visit again and again. By creating a user-experience people like to re-experience, will likely increase your ability to capture some readers loyalty and to make them your best marketing agents.

Here some popular and tested alternative content creation ideas that can help online small publishers increase their reach and visibility while providing a useful information service to all Web users out there.

1. Top 10

Photo credit: Hilary Quinn

Create a top 10 list of industry sites resources, and products that are related to the website's theme. The list should contain helpful resources or authority sites that are respected and have genuine useful information. Providing a credible top 10 will help web visitors and showcase tenability of the website.

Examples:
RSS Top 10
Sharewood Picnic: New Media Picks of the Week
Top 10 Small Biz
Give Wings To Your Dreams: Top Ten Tips For Becoming Independent

2. Product Comparisons
If you managed an industry website, consider creating a product or service comparison guide. Use a grid to illustrate the differences between the specific products or services. The comparison guide will be of interest to website visitors and contain unique aggregated data to assist in the visitor's decision making.

Photo credit: Sasha Burkard

Examples:
Podcast Directory Comparison
Official Guide to Best Web Conferencing and Live Presentation Tools

3. Consumer Reports

Photo credit: MSN Autos

Product warnings, recalls or alerts are generally issued by government agencies. The product alerts contain a list of related products, and any critical information related to that product. Consider syndicating the RSS feed of products from a specific industry or sector, displaying critical
information will generate goodwill with potential customers and demonstrate social-consciousness.

Example:
Overview of Toilets

4. Buyers Guides

Photo credit: MSN Autos

Creating a buyer's guide is especially useful in the holiday season. A buyers guide or gift guide will attract both advertisers and web surfers. You can create a Buyers Guide using a web form, which effectively makes the process easier to manage. You can take the the Buyers Guide a step further,
by making the guide interactive. Ask website visitors questions and offer helpful suggestions, based on their preferences. Analysis of product specifications, features, reviews and comparisons can be provided as part of an online buyers guide, important products or services can be highlighted in the guide.

Examples:
Active Buyers Guide
Official Guide To Best Web Conferencing and Live Presentation Tools

5. Tutorials

Photo credit: Sherrie Smith

Creating educational tutorials or demonstrations about how a technology or service is effective in a specific industry or sector, is not only useful but it helps website visitors consider how they might further use a product or service. Consider providing wizards, tutorials or educational
material that will assist in educating users. Educational materials also distinguishes the website publishers as knowledgeable in a specific area.

Examples:
Real-Time Grassroots Collaboration Tools
Podcasting tutorial
Best Screen Sharing Solutions

6. Glossary

Photo credit: Jonathan Ruchti

Decipher those difficult to understand words, for your website visitors. Despite sometimes being entrenched in an industry, consumers often remain unaware of what specific terminology means. Provide a clear, concise glossary of terms related to a product or service. Educating users about the lingo will help them better understand a product or services benefit.

Examples:
Medical Terminology
Bioteaming glossary

7. History

Photo credit: MoMA

Profile the history of an industry, event, or individual related to the product or service that you are promoting. The historical perspective will educate and attract those who have an industry interest.

Examples:
What is Shareware / History of Shareware
The Sony Rootkit Story
Learning Technologies Timeline

8. Online Tool or Service

Provide a online web tool or service. Webmasters or search engine marketers may provide a free website critique or a free tool related to the product or service they are marketing in order to attract web traffic. The tool or free service will act as a lost leader bringing web visitors to their website for an indefinite amount of time.

Examples:
How much is your blog worth?
RSSTop55
Button Maker
Robin Good Channels Online News Aggregator
Tsunami Full Video Archive

9. Interviews or Success Stories

Generate content by interviewing industry professionals. Not only are interviews interesting to website visitors, but also webmasters might find a number of interviewees provide links back to the interview from related industry websites.

Examples:
TheWeblogProject
Software Success Stories and Interviews

10. Interactive Content

Content that is interactive will not only generate buzz, it will draw in website visitors. One of the first examples of interactive content, the Subservient chicken, generated not only buzz, but a good amount of traffic for Burger King. Marketers have adapted interactive content allowing webmasters to cater content based on web visitors choices or behavior.

Examples:
Subservient Chicken
MyVideoKaraoke
My Virtual Model
Robin Good Channels news aggregator (users can create custom newsfeeds)

Creative content building techniques can draw interested website visitors. Create timeless, unique content and watch your webtraffic and visitors grow.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage a wireless text messaging software company.