Add lots of content to your site without spending hours writing it.

Last year I blogged about how to use Content Syndication to increase your website's useful content. You can read that post: Good websites provide value to the visitor - the content syndication trick!

This concept is SO important that I need to repeat it in 2008. The best websites engage the visitor, provide value and useful content. There is absolutely no excuse in this area and cutting corners in the content of your website is only going to hurt your website in the long run.

In last year's article I provided a few links to get content, however, here are some new content ideas for 2008:

• BLOGS - Just like you are reading this blog, there are thousands of others with lots of fantastic information. Of course, you don't want to "steal" a blogger's content, but there are many tools that allow you to place interesting blogs of your choice right on your website - with full credit going to the blogger. Hey, there is value in "content aggregation" for the convenience of your visitors. Of course, "buyer beware". When you reference a blogger, you are promoting their views. Make sure these are views you agree with - OR - that you present the links while warning the visitor that you may or may not agree 100% with the blogger. Looking for blogs? Check the BLOG page at CNET.COM or even use Google to search "blog" and any topic of interest.
  
• Voxant Newsroom - an interesting aggregator of video content from many sources (like the AP, Reuters, The New York Times, etc.) They even claim to give your website a share in their advertising revenue when videos play. My only caveat with using something like this is make absolutely certain that you include content that is 100% relevant to your website's purpose. Including "all content" or "non relevant" content won't impress your users - on the contrary will leave them wondering why they are presented some "foreign" topic.
• CNET.com is an excellent source of technology news. Check out the CNET Feeds Page.

Again, content is KING! If you want a website that consistently attracts visitors, then make sure you are giving them a reason to visit you!

Good websites provide value to the visitor - the content syndication trick!

Often times, customers ask me how they can make their website more compelling to a web visitor. Among my top answers is "Content is King!" What do I mean? Read on...

How many websites have you visited that have absolutely NO useful information in them? Or how many times have you access a business website to find out "old" articles, an old address or even NO contact information? Trust me, it happens often. Here's the catch: consumers are getting more and more web savvy! For instance, I will rarely deal with a business unless I've visited their website first, read about them and perhaps educated myself about them (and their competition).

However, as the person in charge of maintenance of many-a-websites, I know the problem of "content" versus "time". Who has time to go edit their website every day or every week? Worse yet, if your website was not built using a content management system, you may actually need to know a little HTML (the language of the WEB) in order to make changes. This is a skill you may not have.

Well, not all is lost! There are MANY sources of information content, regardless of the topic of your website. For instance:

• http://www.iHealthSpot.com - offers physicians a complete Medical Library of content for their patients covering hundreds of conditions, their treatment, etc. (full disclosure: I am a partner in this company).
  
• http://www.inman.com/ - offers Real Estate related news and articles.
• http://www.thenewsroom.com/ - offers local and national news from many local channels, the AP and other national news sources.
  
• http://www.mochila.com/ - offers articles of various topics of your choosing.
  

The services above can ALL be included on your site (and your web visitor may never need to know that the content is a feed), although some may require subscription or certain fees from the website operator - but some of these services are actually FREE.

If the above don't do it for you, don't despair. Just Google "news syndication" or "content syndication" and you'll get many, many sources of great content for your websites.

So, there is no reason to have a website with no content, or worse, old content. Place a feed on your website and start giving your website visitors a reason to come back and even share your website address with others!