Online presence is a necessity these days. The trick, though, isn’t just having a website, it’s developing the right website. So once you have a beautiful, informative site with a great user experience, you’re set, right?

Think again.

Websites should never be stagnant. An untouched site is just that: untouchable for your target audience. Here are a few reasons to keep your website content fresh:

1. SEO Benefits

Search engines are constantly scanning your site to index pages and images. Once indexed, these pages and images will show up in searches.

From a purely quantitative standpoint, the more of your site that’s indexed, the more likely a prospective buyer will be able to find your site. But it’s not that simple. In addition to the sheer quantity of possible pages to find, search engines notice when you regularly update and post on your site.

If you are consistently generating content, smart search engines will recognize you as a valuable resource to display in a search result.

2. Providing Value

Writing with search engines in mind is an important first step, but don’t lose sight of your actual goal: to engage a potential customer.

Appearing on the first page of a Google search isn’t enough to make an impact on your buyers if the page is outdated or doesn’t provide a solution to their problems.

Do your website a favor: give thought to what search engines want, but first and foremost, write to the humans on the other side of the computer screen. Writing for real people means your content should be engaging, well-informed, and easily digestible.

Updating your website regularly with quality content provides the value customers often require before making a purchase.

3. Establishing Brand Personality

Your website is the perfect arena in which to infuse your brand with a little life. Social media is also a standard outlet to show off what distinguishes your brand from your competitors’ brands. But don’t limit yourself to these channels alone.

Your published content is available to prospective buyers, 24/7, 365. Even when they can’t reach a sales rep or customer service agent, buyers can form an impression of your organization at any time.

What does that accessibility mean for your content strategy? Let’s reinforce the last point: provide valuable content! But you can’t just list information and expect to close deals. Use a unique voice for your content. Here’re some possibilities to consider:

• Witty and playful
• Informative and knowledgeable
• Thoughtful and predicting industry changes

Some content may fit into more than one category. The important takeaway is to show your potential buyers there’s more to your brand than just an awesome product; there are real people who ensure customer success.

The value of consistently updating your website isn’t limited to just these three benefits, of course. But, instead of convincing you further why a frequently updated site is important, let’s move on to some action items for how to go about keeping your site fresh.

How to Generate Killer Content without Going Crazy

Did you know that 80% of B2B buyers prefer to get their information from articles instead of ads? With stats like that, marketers need to focus on article-style content to provide the solutions an ad would typically offer.

The challenge is to produce valuable, targeted content on a regular basis that drives readership and revenue.

Such consistency is no small task, of course. Content operations require knowledge, strategy, and dedication. A lot of this insight will come from your niche expertise. But there are other ways. Fortunately, Kapost has the content strategy background to give you the extra push towards content excellence. Here are some tips to keep the content ball rolling:

1. Think About It from the Buyer’s Perspective

If you’re having trouble keeping up fresh content, you need to adjust your perspectives. You’re never targeting just one buyer, right? Count up all your buyer personas. And make a list.

Chances are, you have more than one type of buyer and multiple stages of awareness within which to appeal to each buyer persona. With Kapost, there’s a handy view that shows what content you have for each buyer persona at each stage of the journey. Check it out:

(Psst. If you’re not using Kapost, you can manually make this table. You’ll want to keep it updated, as it won’t auto-update like in Kapost, but it’s still a helpful resource.)

Once you see the spread of your content, it’s much easier to address areas you’re lacking. Think like your buyers, and ask what you would want to know at each stage. Then it’s time to put content based on your answers in the editorial calendar!

2. Get a (Somewhat) Outside Opinion

As you continue to publish amazing content, you might find yourself brainstorming topics that border on too similar. Don’t make the mistake of repeating content!

To freshen up your editorial calendar, consider finding a writer outside your usual writers. A freelancer offers expertise, fresh style, and sometimes even an established reader following. Zerys has a natural process to select freelancers if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, or you can reach out to your favorite niche experts.

If you’re not up to managing a team of freelancers, look within. Within your organization, that is.

Sending out a company-wide email isn’t likely to get the attention of your busy colleagues. Instead, personally ask over lunch and brainstorm an idea that gets them excited! You’ll have a higher success rate, better quality writing, and a perspective you otherwise might have missed.

3. Mix It Up

Another reliable method for keeping your website updated regularly is to mix in a variety of content types. Consider assets like:

• Long-form blogs
• Excerpt blogs
• Testimonials/Customer reviews
• Interviews with niche experts
• Videos
• Infographics
• Webinars
• Gated content
• White papers
• Social media links

With so many options, you can have an endless editorial calendar. Spread one topic into multiple formats to guarantee buyers diverse engagement opportunities according to their preferences and needs. Consider this: an interview with a niche expert could be a webinar, video, and blog excerpt. All it would require is recording and transcribing the webinar!

Keeping a website updated is something to strive for, but the results are well worth it. Your customers will appreciate the value you provide, and you’ll find higher content production leads to higher engagement.