Control Your Content or Go Out of Business

I am convinced that some people have self-destructive personalities. And I don’t mean the individual who overeats or drinks too much, or the person who recklessly races down the freeway.

Rather, this self-destructive personality is the writer who relies exclusively on third parties to host their content, including articles, photos and other user-generated material that can simply go away in just a moment.

Last month, I wrote “Why Giving Up Blogging May Be Your Worst Decision,” to touch on the importance of maintaining your own site(s). Today, I am going to get specific on how your most valuable content can quickly disappear.

Am I being an alarmist? I’ll let you decide. However, the facts are clear that when you post material to a website or service that you do not control, then you risk having that information deleted, changed or used for purposes other than what you intended.

1. Terms of service. I read recently where a controversial website that was dedicated to exposing the lies of another organization was suddenly shut down. That website seemed to be telling the truth, but it was hosted on WordPress.com, a free blog hosting site managed by the makers of that powerful content management system. The blog’s opponents seized upon WordPress’ “terms of service,” which clearly spell out that “hate speech” is not allowed. The term “hate speech” is loosely defined, but if someone does not like what you have to say and complains to the right source, then your material can be removed. Fortunately for the owners, they had a database backup and were able to transfer their blog to a private hosting company. Others are not so lucky.

2. Rules are changed. Again. The popularity of Facebook is evident with more than 800 million global users registered as we begin 2012. Its strength and influence cannot be denied, but Facebook has lulled legions of users into pouring all of their resources into its vast pit of accumulated content, material that becomes the property of Facebook. Contributing to Facebook isn’t wrong, but it should never be your primary way of reaching your customers or the people you influence. Even if you delete your Facebook account, the process is not an easy one and your information may remain on Facebook’s servers.

3. Strong platforms fade. Facebook has supplanted MySpace in social media and Google has conquered Yahoo in web search. As difficult as it is to imagine either of these newer platforms being overtaken by an emerging entity, that possibility always exists. Back in the 1990s, message boards and forums ruled, and were destinations unto themselves. Users freely shared valuable information that took countless hours to write. Many of those sites are now gone and the content its contributors submitted has long disappeared. You may be satisfied with your content’s short term influence, but if you want what you write to last for the long haul, then only the sites you control can ensure its continued visibility.

4. Your shortened links no longer work. Besides the content you write, the links you share via social media should be of critical importance to you. Those links can attract new clients and be useful for years to come. However, if a link shortener’s service shuts down, then your links will go away with it. Use a stable link shortening platform, particularly one that allows you to track analytics. I recently started using Google’s goo.gl shortener and am impressed by what this service has to offer.

Extreme reliance on others to host your content can adversely impact your business, perhaps forcing you to close up shop. Even if the hit is only temporary, you’ll lose valuable time and will need to expend resources to retrieve what you have lost. I dobut that you can afford to take such a hit nor should you.

Keyword Overload: SEO Gaming Gone Awry

There is a tendency among some web content contributors to stuff their articles with key words and key word phrases in a bid to be found easier online. The thinking goes that if you write your article in such a way, you’ll find yourself on the first page of Google’s SERPs (search engine result pages), perhaps within the top three (above the fold) results.

This is what I think of keyword stuffed material!

A high placement in the SERPs can certainly offer many advantages for you including more customers who find your site as well as more click throughs for your ads. Up until a few years ago it wasn’t that difficult to achieve higher SERPs but the web has expanded greatly since then and a lot of people have decided to make a “killing” by doing the same.

But the search engines, particularly Google, have adjusted their algorithms accordingly and are much less likely to let a gamed article get through. Your work may still get indexed, but it may not appear any higher than page 19 for “get white teeth” or whatever phrase or words you are using.

There are some dangers whenever you resort to keyword stuffing including:

Your reputation becomes tarnished. Unless you’re happy with being labeled a spammer, you’ll have a hard time separating yourself from that title. In writing, you quickly become identified with the company you keep…or push!

Your audience dies of boredom. Keyword stuffing is always apparent and does little to edify the reader. You may gain the SERPs, but lose your readership.

So, how can you still attract the crowds without resorting to tried and discarded methods? By working more intelligently and deciding that your readers do not deserve to be insulted.

What you can work on are certain writing fundamentals including:

Develop magnetic headlines. I don’t mean headlines that simply exaggerate, but those written to compel people to learn more. Give people something to think about, raise their curiosity and put it in their minds to explore further. Besides, your keywords can be incorporated in your title.

Use similar words. If your content is an overt sales pitch, I can’t help you tone it down. But, if your article is instructive, consider using the words you want to include by naturally spreading them throughout your article. Importantly, use Google’s AdWords tool to help you find what you want. In the “get white teeth” phrase that tool shows several alternative phrases to consider: whiten teeth and get teeth white are important search terms.

You can take your work one step further by citing experts in your field and including their personal blurbs in your article. No, I don’t mean cutting and pasting what you find online, rather to contact these people for an interview. If time is of the essence, then just pitch one question their way and offer to include their answer in your article, citing them and linking to their site.

You’ll gain authority, visibility and a tremendous amount of respect if you build your content carefully. No, you may not get “instant results” but there is a good chance that what you write will get some legs and be cited elsewhere or become an authority piece. Yes, that means abandoning some of the old tactics you may have used but in the long run you’ll have something to be proud of.

See Also — Commenting? You Can Do Better Than That!