SEO Articles :: Content Is King, Traffic Is Supreme

Content Is King, Traffic Is Supreme

By Adelard Gasana

At Entrance to the Internet Jungle: "What should I put on my website?" That is the question I receive mostly from newcomers. The answer is very simple, content. You have to give your visitors and prospects a reason to go to your website, and keep going to your website.

The Content Thou Art King

The website's information, images, videos, audio, and other data are what make up the content you will be providing. The flavor of the content should be unique, and entice the visitors get involved in your website. The style of your writing, content, will portray a personality in itself, and flavor up your website.

For me, I personally write to people the way I talk, simple. I try to use visual references when possible to convey the complex message I want the reader to understand. I can take it up a notch and write in perfect English, and use big words that will bore or even scary my reader/visitor, but that's would not be good for business/traffic.

When creating the content, you have to keep in mind the education of your target audience, what you view they like, dislike, and want to visitor your website about.

For example, when I look up a word, I use Google to search for the word and then got to a dictionary website to understand the meaning. Now most likely that dictionary website will not have video streaming on using the word, but will have simply what I am looking for, the definite and an example of usage.

That's what I expect, and that's why I usually return to that particular site so I no longer have to use Google. The Webmaster of that dictionary site understands what I need, and is able to deliver it. Before you even begin to write content you have to get into the mindset of the perfect user of your site. You have to think like they think. What do they expect, and what can you deliver.

Then create content around that perfect web visitor. Create videos, images, audio, text information, news archives, and press release with that perfect visitor in mind.

Now a lot of people go off on a tangent since they hear things like "Google sends the most traffic, so I have to create a site Google Likes." The main reason for this flaw is in Google's own words. The #1 guideline Google gives is:

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.

Link: http://www.google.com/intl/en/corporate/tenthings.html

So in Google's own words they focus on the user rather than any other variable to guide them when creating great products and/or services. That's what you need for your website. Concentrate on the user's experience. Giving a user great experience relies on one thing, the content.

If you have unique, and INTERESTING content in your website, that cannot be found elsewhere on the Internet, you are ahead of any potential competition by a long run. Others will attempt to copy you, but as long as you keep innovating, and taking the "Unique-ness", and "Interest-ness" to the next level, the competition will always fall short.

The Traffic Thou Rains Supreme

Traffic is the lifeblood of any site. The easiest way to get traffic is having great content! Period.

Having #1 spot on Google doesn't do you any good if your website is lacking in interest, and flavor. In fact if you attain a #1 top spot for a high-ranking keyword, it can only be through you having great content and valuable information on your site.

Most traditional traffic comes from Search Engines, and unfortunately a lot of well-meaning gurus tell people to increase their traffic on search engines as if it is the end of to traffic online. It's not.

Traffic can come from anywhere and everywhere. Traffic can come from web 2.0 sites like Digg.com, Del.icio.us, or StumbleUpon.com. These type of traffic is intensives on certain days, and mediocre on others. But when it hits, it hits hard. And you will usually see a steady stream of traffic monthly from this type of traffic.

Traffic can comes from Blog comments that you posted on other people's blogs.

Backlinks, or even the nofollow links still allow people that read the comment the opportunity to go to your site. They are more likely to follow your link if you say something interesting.

Traffic can come from participating in forums, or online chat that allow you to put your website as a link in your signature and/or profile.

Traffic can come from Yahoo Answers, a place where people can go to, to ask questions of experts in the industry. Register as an expert and give your 2 cents. I believe Google has Answers too.

Traffic can come from YouTube (tones of it), Metacafe, and other online video site. If you have a tutorial video for example of your services, post it up on the video site, and put a link in the description of it to attract more visitors. Also add a watermark and place the URL in the beginning and ending of your video. The amount of traffic you see will vary but if your subject is viral, you can see visitors topping 100,000 a day, if DONE RIGHT.

Traffic can come from RSS feeds of your content to RSS aggregator, like Google's BlogSearch. RSS feeds are another great subject that can be like steroids to a website's traffic.

Traffic is endless and it is infinite. In my opinion, it is a good strategy to keep your traffic from one source always under 40%. For example Google, if the Big G is sending you more than 40% of your traffic; you have to decrease it by increasing the other sources of traffic you get. Now I don't mean reject Google traffic, but always trying to offset it. But if you know what you are doing your going to say, wait, If I increase my backlinks, YouTube videos, etc, that will give me a higher PageRank and increase the Google traffic even more. Yep, it a hell of a snowball affect but just make sure you continue increasing other sources of links, and you will not be at the mercy of 1 source of traffic.

Ying Yang

Content and Traffic are like Ying and Yang, Once cannot exist without the other. If you sole concentrate on traffic, you will find out that you can gain 1000 visitors an hour, but most will leave with 1 minute, since your content is lackluster. But on the contrary, if have great content, traffic will flow like a river.

My suggestion is to use 80% of your energy on create great content and 20% on driving traffic. The reason, traffic is the easiest thing in the world to get. A couple thousand directories links, article submission, video submission, web 2.0 bookmarks, and bam easy 2000 visitors a day.

Obviously this depends on your industry as a whole, and the length of time it takes for you to generate all the great content you have.

Using my dictionary example, most likely they will not be able to do video submission, and article submission, and probably not likely will the Webmaster do any web 2.0 bookmarking. So the best thing for the Webmaster to do is give the user great content on the site itself, do some link submission, and get involved with their industry (Visit Forums, blogs, comment and give good advice, and use their signature to gain backlinks and well as creditability).

Now on the other hand an entertainment site, using the above techniques getting 2000 visitors can happen in weeks, and in my opinion, if they are only getting 2000 visitors a day they are not trying.

So in the end, Content is King, Traffic is Supreme! Creating unique content, and expand your exposure on the Internet, and you will be alright Kids.