Let’s get it out on the table and say it like it needs to be said. I’m an advertising copywriter and web copy specialist, and I say…
Content is NOT king.
I used to say it is, but no longer. I was thinking about it from the wrong perspective, and I suspect many of you are, too. If content is king, then refined, white sugar is good for you. Partially hydrogenated fats are, too.
No, it’s not a matter of filling up the white space with chunks of content. If that’s all it took, the New York Times wouldn’t be losing subscribers so quickly and selling their offices.
So…you may be asking…well, if content ain’t king, who or what is?
I’m glad you asked. The short answer (and a word I love) is…quality. Language, communication, the arts, and media may go through fads and even trends. But one thing separates the short term content from the lasting content: you guessed it…quality. Quality tells the content who’s boss.
I’m not talking about prosaic, poetic masterpieces…although they have their places in the world of quality. I’m talking about objective, inherent, observable quality.
And it comes through not only in the way the words flow together into well-expressed thoughts. But also the way the words work for their master, or in other words, the person or company putting them to use. If the quality of the words is there in readability as well as the successful results of the content, bingo! Somebody wins.
If a website, autoresponder, email, direct mail piece, or even simple letter is just thrown together for the sake of filling up the space, (buzzer noise)….can you say “air ball”? Or “lead balloon”?
There are a million places to get cheap “content” for your business or website nowadays. And there are dozens of ways to lose money by going that route. This isn’t a defense of my extremely high fees (because they’re not really). It’s an explanation of why you need to know Quality is King.
Stay tuned,
P.S. Quality web copy from a creative web copy specialist will end up costing you much less in the long run. Of course, I’m going to tell you that’s me. But make me prove it. We can both benefit. Contact me, today.
Tags: cheap content, web copy
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February 27th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Quality content is king – you’re absolutely correct. For anyone considering just “slapping something together” and getting some failing English major in Calcutta to write your web or marketing copy, I can tell you that’s bad business. If your site doesn’t make sense, or if it frustrates users by being vague, they’ll likely never return. What’s worse, with Google’s “search wiki”, there’s a chance that unsatisfied visitors will “vote down” your web site, ultimately effecting your ranking in Google’s search index.
My advice to new clients is to spend money on what people can see. A web site is just like a store front – it’s got to be pretty, it’s got to tell people what you’re about, and it’s got to be interesting. Good written content is a big part of a good web site.
Write on, Tony, write on (pun intended).
Tony Says:February 27th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Thanks for the input Jason. I think you nailed the geographic location of much of the writing we
see online nowadays. It’s too bad, too, because American English is so expressive when it’s put
to good use.
Good point about Wiki, too. People seem to forget those kinds of details. One other thing…
May I borrow a spork? Yours are top-notch.