The saying goes that 'content is king' in the world of SEO, but does that really still apply today? Constant changes to Google and the rise of social media have had a great impact on SEO over the past few years, but content is still an essential element of getting a website to rank well. The problem many website owners face is where to find a source of good quality content.
Content marketing is an extremely powerful way of attracting and retaining customers. Search engines recognize the value of good information, and websites providing it are rewarded with higher rankings. Some SEO methods are impacted by updates to search engine algorithms, but providing quality content will always work as a strategy to get your site noticed.
If you want to do it the hard way, you can spend hours Googling relevant information and joining newsletters for content. Unfortunately, organizing everything you find and keeping on top of it can become a huge task. You then have to develop writing skills and spend hours turning everything you find into original content. Thanks to the following websites and tools you may already be familiar with you can take a lot of the pain out of the process and have an endless supply of fresh content.
1) Twitter.
You may think of Twitter as a way of keeping up with the world of celebrities and movie stars, but it's also a fantastic source of content on millions of subjects. Although messages are restricted to a limited number of characters, you can link to longer articles and blog posts. By signing up to follow experts and leaders in any subject you need content about you can access a constant supply of fresh articles. Twitter is also a great source for ideas of subjects to write about.
2) Scoop.it.
This one service could supply you with more content than you'll ever need about any subject. Scoop. is like an off-the-shelf magazine you can create based on the keywords you choose. Every day you receive a feed of relevant articles, and you can save and organize them for future reference. Scoop. it makes it easy to share content with your followers, and the quality is excellent.
3) Pinterest.
Many people think of Pinterest as a social media service for photographers, but it's a great source of articles and information as well as images. Use the search bar to look for articles, infographics and lists of tips on any subject. If you find an article you really like you can follow the author and receive notifications when they add more content.
4) YouTube.
If you want to write a 'how to' article, YouTube is a fantastic place to look. Videos showing demonstrations and offering tips and advice on a subject can easily be turned into articles. YouTube is particularly good for information about food and cooking, sports and fitness, and hobbies like fishing.
5) Forums.
There are online forums about pretty much every subject you can think of. Searching current topics and discussions on a forum is a great way to find and create content. If a visitor posts a question there are often lots of answers and suggestions within a couple of hours. Signing up for a few forums relevant to your niche means you'll never run out of ideas for blog posts and articles.
Using these resources to create fresh content for your website on a regular basis may be all the SEO work you need to improve its ranking.