Content Versus Usability: Which Wins?
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If people are seriously considering building an online business, there are a great number of questions they need to ask themselves. The first query that springs to mind is what is the purpose of your website? Because determining the ultimate purpose of your website has everything to do with your ultimate success or failure. If you put square pegs in round holes, you’ll end up banging your head against the wall, rather than listening to the sweet sound of your online cash registers ringing.
This part one of a two part series.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Content Websites
Advantages of content
1) Content tends to attract a number of deep links which tend to send very targeted traffic into your website. Depending on how you write your content, you can monetize this easily with AdSense or affiliate links. Content is easy to manage, once it’s up, and at times can turn into a decent revenue stream.
2) Content that is updated daily will tend to draw repeat visitors. This is the heart and soul of a passive income stream. The people who find time to visit your website daily looking for your new content can be a rich source of income.
Possible Disadvantages of Content
1) Content is extremely vulnerable to the caprices of the search engines, in particular the Mighty and Merciless G. If you get “dumped”, your income will plummet immensely because your repeat visitors generally don’t click much…it’s the web surfers that do.
2) Content doesn’t engage people as usability. They may not visit your website again, even if they were very happy with the content. Not everyone is “researching” subjects on the internet, certainly not enough to keep most niche coffers full.
Content websites come and go. It’s tough to differentiate your website content from someone else’s. Besides, beauty is generally in the eye of the beholder. People are fickle and may not love your content as much as you do. In the long run, you can make money on content, but you’ll probably have to update a lot more than you might realize, because content degrades as news event change the lexicon of web surfers.
What do you think are the main disadvantages and advantages of content websites?
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5 Responses to “Content Versus Usability: Which Wins?”
I maintain a small content-based website (www.computernostalgia.net), which contains articles and photos relating to the history of computers. It’s just a hobby so I’m not too bothered about how much revenue it generates.
When I first set up the site I naturally didn’t get much traffic from any of the search engines. I then (after a couple of months) had some success with Google, before losing out big time after one of their updates. These days my site is nowhere to be found on Google.
With Yahoo and MSN, my website’s fortunes have fluctuated somewhat. Things seem to go well for a couple of months with MSN, then with Yahoo. I haven’t yet managed to be successful with both MSN and Yahoo at the same time. The site has been up and running now since the end of 2005.
Recently, I haven’t updated the content on the site very often and I seem to be slipping down the rankings with MSN, but I seem to be somewhere in the top 20 in Yahoo for the term ‘computer history’.
I agree with the comments made in the article. I think that it is possible to have a successful content-based site, but you do need to update the site on a regular basis.
I think I’ve got a reasonable idea how to go about getting an OK ranking with Yahoo and MSN, but I certainly haven’t managed to crack Google yet.
John
http://www.computernostalgia.net
By John on Feb 12, 2007
John,
Google takes longer than the other two. If the content attracts links, Google will start to notice at some point.
By Darren McLaughlin on Feb 12, 2007
I have had reasonable success with google and the others by using content based on what my readers and searchers are looking for rather than giving them something they weren’t searching for. I follow LSI as much as possible and this has helped my site reach #48 with competiton of 99 million pages. I use the same strategy with my articles that point to my site and one in particular is in the number 4 spot for the same kwd and competition of 99million as the site. I’m not positive but I think this has come about by using only related content, backlinks that are also related and on/off page optimization. I moved to these positions in three months from a long way back and it was hard work. I don’t use reciprocal linking anymore because I now think that it’s easily detectable by the engines and it’s not really a vote for your site. I also think that higher google PR for your backlinks is pretty important. Usability or stickyness is good too but return visitors soon get tired of contributing and I now let them know when I have posted something of value for them to read. So far so good - fingers crossed. You can see the site(s) at http://profitable-photography.com
By SEO Expert on Feb 12, 2007
Hi,
If you have a focus on serving people you will probably develop a site that has good usable content for the market you are serving. Depending upon your market people sometimes have an un-ending thirst for knowledge and development in that area - e.g. personal growth.
Even if they may have moved their focus elsewhere they will often refer people to your site.
Stay focused on providing people with useful, up-to-date information, that resolves problems for people, have a plan for how you will let the world know that you exist (e.g. forums etc) and just like in the ‘real’ world, your business will grow, and interested parties (i.e. search engines, directories etc) eventually take notice
Best wishes
Shelley
Accept where you are, but never settle for it
http://www.leadership-and-motivation-training.com
By Breakthru Mentor on Feb 19, 2007