How to Write Your Way to Traffic and Sales

Whatever others may say, Content is still King, and Content Sites, or the Learning Library approach to site building is a relatively cheap and easy way to a huge amount of traffic and sales.

Ok, so what is the Learning Library approach? Simply, creating a Learning Library section of your site which has tip, advice, and articles on your particular expertise.

Here are a few tips for starting a learning library on your site.

Not a blog!
The Learning Library is not a blog. The articles are longer and more detailed, generally 500 - 800 words, whereas most blog posts are 300 - 400 words.

Organize your categories first.
Lay out a Content Plan before you start. One of the best ways to do this is using a keyword search tool like Adwords, to find all the related keywords to your target, as well as all the permutation and combination. Use a spreadsheet and organize keywords into columns with the root keyword at the top. Below, include all of the keywords that include that root. Think big!

Write often and regularly
Commit to a certain number of articles per week and stick to it. At the time, it doesn't seem like much, but if you keep at it, then it builds up over time and pretty soon you have a huge number of articles.

Concentrate of usable information.
Give readers useful advice that they can use right now. One format I like to follow has an opening paragraph or two, then a bulleted list of tips or advice, and then a concluding paragraph.

Use a variety of different types of content.
Use articles as well as videos from Youtube

Fake it till you make it.
Maybe people don't see you site as an authority in your niche right now, but they never will unless you act like it!

Link out by filtering
Part of being an authority is filtering information for people. Everyone is on information overload, so your opportunity is to provide a selection of the best. Think Oprah's Book Club. Oprah is the authority and she has sorted through everything to bring your the best.

Write for your ideal client.
Take some time to define the characteristics of your ideal client. What type of client is the easiest to deal with, and the most profitable? Take some examples of actual clients that are the type of person you want to work with. Consider what they have in common and write down their characteristics in as much detail as possible. This is also called creating a persona.
Once you have your persona, consider what they would like to read about, and what technical level they are at. Then write for this person.

Target Target Target
Write for your customers not for your competition. For example, lots of SEO companies write tips and blogs for other SEO people. How crazy is that? Other SEO people are not going to purchase your SEO services, they are just there to scoop free tips and re-sell to their clients! Write for clients that need your services, not your competition!