You read it everywhere and hear it all the time:
“Content is king.”
“Make sure to write high-quality content.”
“High-quality content is the key to success in Internet Marketing.”
What does all of that actually mean, though?
In the next 8 lessons, I’ll explain EXACTLY why high-quality content is so important and how to create it quickly and efficiently.
I’ve stated repeatedly in previous lessons how essential high-quality articles are to an Internet Marketing business, and now it’s finally time to discuss it in detail.
Technically, you don’t need high-quality content to get ranked. If you have really sophisticated SEO skills and know how to game Google without getting caught, you can maybe get away with subpar content.
But for the average person who’s playing by the rules, high-quality content is an absolute must for any Internet Marketing business.
Why You Need High-Quality Content
I’ve discussed how an Internet Marketing business is cumulative and how your efforts will stack on top of each other. Content is an important step that will help amplify your business’ success. Focusing on high-quality content will ultimately make succeeding easier and happen quicker.
I also want to emphasize that when I say “content,” it doesn’t necessarily mean written content. Other types of content you can study and create are videos and podcasts.
I’m Not Here to Teach You How to Write
This lesson is not about how to become a good writer. I won’t be focusing on proper English grammar or punctuation or how to compose a well-written sentence. I’m NOT an English teacher. If you plan to build a business with written content and you can write in English, you’re going to be fine. Writing imperfectly is not that big of a deal in Internet Marketing. There is always time to learn how to improve your writing at a basic level. Plenty of materials available online can teach you proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If you are an incredible writer, everything will fall into place more quickly for you. At the end of the day, though, you don’t need to aim for perfection.
Take me as an example: I’ve always been a decent writer, which I owe in part to my grandmother who was an English teacher for 32 years. When I first started writing blog posts 10 years ago, I would spend an entire day writing an article that, today, I can knock out in a couple of hours. “Practice makes perfect” may be a cliché, but it’s true. Every time you sit down and write an article or post, you’re working towards improvement.
The Key to Producing High-Quality Content
The key to producing high-quality content (whether it’s written, video, or audio) is to add value to your followers’ lives. Focusing on value above anything else will ensure that your content is engaging and informative. This applies to each content format and niche.
I’ve learned a lot in this industry over the years and know I’m providing the highest quality training I could ever provide by focusing on sharing everything I’ve learned in this training. My hope is to help readers achieve the same, or even greater, success that I’m experiencing now.
“Inch Wide, Mile Deep”
A common mistake people make is trying to write everything there is to write about for a broad topic. The result is a piece of content that’s too watered down to add real value.
The right approach to creating content is: “inch wide, mile deep.” Focus on a tiny segment within a broad topic (inch wide) and flesh it out (mile deep). This is the best rule of thumb for writing high-quality content.
For my tattoo removal website, for example, I wouldn’t write about and cram every topic regarding laser tattoo removal, such as how much it hurts, the cost, the technology, etc., into a single blog post. Instead, I’d write individual articles for each of the smaller topics within the broad topic of tattoo removal (inch wide) and flesh out very specific questions or pain points in each one (mile deep).
There are certain exceptions to this rule. Once these individual blog posts are published, I could create a longer article to serve as an overview of a broad topic, such as tattoo removal, that summarizes important points from each of the individual posts. In this longer article, I would link out to each in-depth article so readers could find more information on that specific topic. These types of articles are known as cornerstone content, content that forms the foundation or basis of a website. This doesn’t contradict the “inch wide, mile deep” approach; it’s a necessary exception so you can have a major piece that anchors minor posts on your blog.
High-Quality Articles Alone Will Make Your Business a Success
Every website needs a foundation of at least 7 to 10 pieces of high-quality articles before promotion. The idea here is to have your core pages, which were discussed in Lesson 23, and at least 7 to 10 high-quality blog posts.
You could get away with promoting your site with only four or five extremely high-quality articles, but that may hurt your promotional efforts. If you send a website with five articles or less to people, it won’t matter how high quality the articles are; that website is going to look brand new. It’s a stretch for your website to be seen as an authority in your niche with only two or three published posts.
At this point, focus on laying the groundwork for your website by creating 7 to 10 high-quality articles that serve as the basis for the rest of your content.