If you own a website, you have most likely heard the phrase “content is king” when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). You know that to rank well on search engine results pages and to make visitors happy, you need to have lots of web pages with terrific content.

But has someone told you not to worry about your content? That it can be purchased cheaply?

Yes, you might be able to get recycled generic content cheaply. You might even be able to get well-written generic content cheaply. But it really won’t do you much good.

If your website content isn’t original, Google won’t give it any “points.” So it won’t help your search results rankings. If the piece has good information, your customers might like it, but if they don’t find you in the first place … “Houston, there’s a problem.”

Plus if you use generic web content, you are missing out on huge opportunities to show off your particular business, experience, and expertise — the very stuff that helps customers to trust you and want to buy from you!

So you need to be sure you develop custom content for your web pages. You can do this by either building content from the ground up or by taking generic content and expanding upon it.

Here are Ten Easy Tips to consider when customizing the content for individual web pages:

1.   What will be the keywords or key phrases for this page?
You can use the free Google Keyword AdWords tool to research exact keywords that people type in search boxes. Then use the keywords in your copy and title and description tags. Be very careful not to stuff or use them unnaturally.

2.   Who will be the ideal target reader of this page?
Be as specific as you can. Think about gender, age, income level, interests, etc.
Then write to this person as if you were sitting across the table from him having a cup of coffee.

3.   What is your competitor doing with his pages?
You know you can do better.  What can you say and demonstrate better?

4.   If the page is a sales page, what are the unique benefits of your product and/or service for this visitor?
Is your product superior? Is your service the best? Do you have white-glove delivery? What impresses your loyal customers?

5.   What is your proof of the above?
A guarantee? Testimonials? If possible, use images or videos of satisfied customers using your product or talking about it.

6.   If the page is an information page, what is the goal of that particular page?
Try to guide your visitor to continue on your site and stay in your sales pipeline, e.g. you might offer a premium to sign up for a newsletter.

7.   Always give your visitors options at the bottom of each page.
It could be a call to action or simply a link to continue on for further information. Think about what your visitor might want to do next.

8.   Break up your page with bold headings and sub-heads.
Visitors scan first. If they don’t click away, then they’ll read.

9.   Make your web pages easy on weary eyes.
Use wide margins, short paragraphs, and web friendly fonts. Use reverse type (light type on dark background) only for headlines or subheads. Lately, I’ve been recommending larger fonts to clients. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I suspect it’s all the designers — who don’t like text — that are making fonts so darn tiny!

10. Add new pages often.
Always be on the lookout for new information about your business and industry. Write a short article about it and post it as a single page on your site. Also disseminate it online and in social media, which opens up many more opportunities by helping you, over time, to cast your net wide and deep.

If you regularly implement the above ten tips and develop custom content for your website, you will be on the road to having a website that actually becomes a workhorse for your business, delivering you prospects and customers.