It’s clear that original content is an important part of a good search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, but as more and more information proliferates the web, it is also important that this content is relevant to what people are searching for.
In a post on Marketing Pilgrim as part of its SEM Scholarship contest, Frankie Fredericks of The Web Uncovered, writes that because of the increasing importance of real-time search, it is all the more necessary for companies to have content that is relevant.
An example Fredericks uses is the Huffington Post and the traffic it has received because of its constant updates on the recent unrest in Iran. Unlike more traditional news outlets that only update the story occasionally throughout the day, the Huffington Post posts new information a few times each hour.
In addition to having content that will show up in a search, Fredericks says the content must "engage" a reader and give them a reason to repost this information – to make it viral.
"Viral marketing is word of mouth in the digital age, and thus, the same rules apply as do to traditional marketing," he writes. "People want to laugh, be touched, see the underdog win, and be privy to the next best thing. The best practices are only a means to a viral end."
At the SMX West conference earlier this year, Bruce Clay noted that original content – like news and press releases – can help create a viral effect for the businesses that use them, saying that getting content into Google News is "worth its weight in gold."
