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View Full Version : 10 Ways to Have More People Reading Your Content



vangogh
05-22-2009, 09:09 PM
Smashing Magazine had a post about a week ago on how to put your content in front of more people (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/05/12/10-ways-to-put-your-content-in-front-of-more-people/). The main idea is that it's the content that matters and not so much where that content is published.

Just a few ideas from the post

Create a mobile website.
Write For Others
Develop A Widget Or API
Offer Better Feeds
Use Multimedia

I think we all get locked into the idea that it's all about our websites when it really doesn't have to be. I can tell you that many people hire me based on something I say here and only visit my site for contact info.

You don't need everyone to find your website. They have to find you and your business. One advantage to social media profiles is that people might find them sooner than your site, but you still have a chance convincing them to hire you at that other site.

Having your content in places beyond your site helps spread the reach of your brand and puts you in front of new audiences.

Do you promote your content on sites other than your own?

Spider
05-23-2009, 09:54 AM
...Do you promote your content on sites other than your own?That's an interesting question. My own situation pops immediately to my mind, of course, but I'm sure the same happens with just about everyone -- my target audience (the people I am trying to reach) are the same people my competitors are trying to reach. Thus, to promote myself to that target audience I would need to have my content on my competitors' sites. Ain't gonna happen, obviously!

Sure, there are other avenues, like discussion forum and social networks, where my target audience is only a small portion of the total audience, but to actually get my content on a competitor's site is about as likely as my competitor getting his content on my site.

Or am I misunderstanding something here?

vangogh
05-24-2009, 02:06 PM
I don't think it has to be your competitors sites. I'm sure your target audience reads other sites as well. Maybe those other sites aren't as obvious, but they do exist. For example with social media sites it's fair to assume some of your target audience uses a variety of those sites. Why not make sure you build a profile on those sites.

The article I linked to wasn't specifically talking about writing content for sites on your topic. That was just one example. How about developing a tool that people could download, which includes a link back to your site? How about publishing an RSS feed or delivering content via email. Each of allows people to absorb your content without having to visit your site.

The main idea is that not everyone will visit your site or has to in order for them to get to know you. Think about what you're doing here. You're putting content in front of people through something other than your site. By posting here you can leverage this forum as a way to expand the reach of your brand and potentially gain customers.

MH Vishal
06-19-2009, 02:05 AM
A great thread that recognizes the web is about bringing people and content together, which is a 2-way street. Looking at the way the web is developing.. more and more content is being served-up outside of the boundaries of a traditional website and it's all about breaking-down the barriers between the audience and serving up high quality content. Designers take Note !

phanio
06-20-2009, 09:01 AM
Does it not depend on your target market to where your content should be? If you have a product for male customers - you probably would not want you content posted on a gardening site - not going to get a lot of traffic. Know you market and where they get their information.

I use many different avenues to get my content out - but i try very hard to target my market. For example, I would love to post content or responses on some of these high ranking, high traffic digital forums - but that is not my market - these people are more interestest in technology than funding.

I have just recently become very interested in mobile content. Phones and PDAs are becoming much more smarter, easier to use, and in more hands. I would love any input on how someone like me (who likes to learn how to program all their own stuff) can find information about creating a mobile site - e.g. programs to use or learn, hosting, etc. As well as some favorite sites that can be used to gather information (e.g. best practices for creating a mobile site and mobile content)?

vangogh
06-22-2009, 12:12 PM
Does it not depend on your target market to where your content should be?

It definitely depends on your target market and where they spend their time. If you think about it when someone runs a commercial on tv or places an ad in a magazine they're hopefully doing so in a place where their market is absorbing the content. Same thing online. Figure out where your market spends its time and maintain a presence there.


information about creating a mobile site

Most of it will be exactly the same as creating any other site. You don't need mobile specific hosting or different tools to create the site. The main thing is to understand how mobile devices see your code. It's like working with a finicky browser.

In general if you code your site to web standards and offer a somewhat fluid layout your site will probably look of in any mobile device. You'll probably want to consider whether it's better to display your navigation at the top or get the content at the top. One reason I have the sidebar on my site on the right as opposed to the left is I realized the right side would drop below the left on mobile devices. Just by keeping the sidebar on the right it makes my site more useful on a mobile device since the content will be closer to the top.

If you use WordPress there are plugins that will serve an alternate style sheet for mobile devices and you don't have to do anything other than install the plugin.

Mostly having a mobile site is less about using different tools and technologies and more about understanding the medium. It's not much different than knowing certain code works will in Firefox, but not in Internet Explorer so you need to do something to make it work well in both.

howtechhelpsbiz
07-25-2009, 10:29 PM
I use wordpress for my sites and one of the first things I do is install the 'Wordpress Mobile Edition' plugin. I find it works really well for myself, as it has a completely seperate theme (or you can select your own) for serving mobile content.

vangogh
07-25-2009, 11:37 PM
I use a similar plugin now after someone mentioned they weren't viewing my site as well as they'd like over an iPhone. Mobile is a growing market and it might not be long before more people are absorbing your content over a mobile device than on their computer.