3 Reasons Your Small Business Needs to Create Content Now
By: Jessica Ladosca
Tags: Small Business Growth, Content Creation, Small Business, Content Marketing, Small Business Marketing

Web content isn’t a new idea. In 1996, Bill Gates said, “Content is king.” He understood the power of quality online content. Twenty-plus years later, his words still ring true. The internet we know and love has evolved to connect users to the content that best meets their needs at a given moment. A few examples include:

An informative article

A delicious recipe

An entertaining viral video

As a small business leader, you can leverage the power of online content to your company’s benefit. Of course, to do that, you need to create content in the first place.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

What can content creation do for your business?

Web page copy does the critical job of explaining what your business offers to clients. Articles and blog posts go in-depth with insights and information that answer questions and set you apart as a leader in your industry.

Website content is always “on.” Content works to promote your company long after you and your team have called it a day. Specifically, content helps your website accomplish three aims that each contributes to the larger goal of business growth.

1. Drive traffic to your website

Compelling content drives traffic to your website — 55 percent more traffic, HubSpot reports. These days, few people choose to visit specific websites by typing the URL into the browser. Instead, people find websites in more roundabout ways, such as:

Search engine results

Shared links on social media

Referred links from other content

Publishing content — like blog posts and articles — on your website is an invitation for internet users to visit. Once there, your online visitors explore your site to see what else you have to offer.

2. Increase your rankings on Google and other search engines

Besides driving higher traffic volume, content boosts your website’s rankings in search results on Google and other search engines. And better search rankings can then drive even more traffic to your site.

According to a study by HubSpot, businesses that regularly publish blog content end up with 97 percent more inbound links than non-blogging companies.

Inbound links — links to your website from other sites — tell search engines that your site is a useful source of content. Then the search engines bump your site higher on their results pages. The same study showed that businesses with blogs have 434 percent more indexed pages, which also improves search rankings.

3. Get more leads

Increased traffic and better search rankings translate into positive business outcomes, like more leads. Content marketing produces three times as many leads as traditional marketing — and its cost is 62 percent lower, according to Sweet Fish Media.

When people visit your website and realize that your content has value, some convert into leads by signing up for a newsletter or reaching out via a contact form.

Conclusion

Carefully crafted content is powerful. It attracts people to your website, improves your search rankings, and converts visitors into leads. From blogs and articles to infographics and videos, content draws in potential customers and grows awareness of your business.

Content creation is a vital part of your online marketing strategy. If you don’t have the time or talent to create content in-house, consider working with a copywriter. Your business can reap the benefits of well-crafted content without the work.