3 Content Types That Drive Traffic, Engagement, and Conversions

Search engine experts and online marketers agree that the key to attracting search engines and customers to your website is useful, unique, relevant content that can’t be found elsewhere.  Therefore, content creation is the most important task for all website developers and owners. Unfortunately it is also the most difficult.  It is very tempting to recycle content available elsewhere on the web (like manufacturer descriptions of products), or to provide bland, dated material that doesn’t engage your website visitors.  However, there are a few content types you can focus on that will drive engagement, higher search engine ranking, and conversions on your website.

The following content types can drive traffic and conversions, and can be promoted on social networks, relevant forums, email newsletters, your own website, and in organic search results:

1. Product/Feature Releases

As your business continues to grow and evolve, it is important to make sure your existing customers know about new features, products, and advancements.  People like “new” and recently added features, and reminding customers of your brand with new, compelling features and benefits is a good way to engage with them. The key to driving engagement with product release-focused content is to choose the right platforms on which to promote that content. For example, product releases are ideal for social media followers or email newsletter subscribers but not great for cold prospects via search engine marketing.

2. Webinars & White Papers

Potential customers are drawn to webinars and white papers, because they provide free information and valuable insight.  That makes this content type one of the easiest to promote, even as it is one of the hardest to create.

Tap into the resources available in your organization in order to generate this content; your employees (and you) are experts in your field with valuable information to share.  Providing useful white papers and webinars is a great way to attract new visitors and potential customers, while building your reputation as helpful experts. This type of content is also ideal to promote on nearly any channel – social media, email newsletters, your website, relevant forums, offline advertising, and search engines. When you offer something as valuable as free information, your chance at generating more clicks than the competition is all but guaranteed.

3. Feature Articles

An offshoot of webinars and white papers above, feature articles leverage the expertise available in your organization in order to build relevant, insightful content on your website that can increases the time visitors spend on your website (and even page views), drives sharing, and improves overall search engine rankings and organic traffic. Feature articles can be used within any promotional channel – particularly in search and social media.