Content is King, But Not All Content Deserves a Royal Title.

Last updated on January 24, 2023 - 3 minutes

Content is King
Back in 2010, it was quite evident not only to industry leaders, but also to the movers and shakers of the world, that print was fading out and an online platform was the way to communicate most effectively with your target audience. During that time, my wheelhouse, as a young mother, was anything relocation-related because my public servant husband required us to move more frequently than most. Unable to find much of anything online to help meet our needs, I decided to do it myself by creating an online resource for families relocating to the national capital region (Virginia and D.C. areas).

One of the very first fields of study I dove head-first into when creating my online start-up, eye-tracking, may not have been what you first envisioned. Of course, domain names, servers, logos, website layout and design, were also an integral part of building out my brand. The MOST important aspect of my business, however, would be getting inside the mind of my customers to see how they responded to my specific type of online resource. Back then, “eye tracking studies” like this one from 2010 https://www.usability.gov/get-involved/blog/2010/03/eyetracking.html was an usual topic for anyone to research. Although, it is common practice today, analyzing consumer behaviors while sitting at the computer would give me an advantage while writing the content for my digital resource. As a business owner, my business initial goal was to understand, capture, and retain my customers’ attention, while also preventing them from clicking off our website. Even today, click-rates remain a crucial factor to properly assess consumer behavior.

Almost 15 years later, these studies have significantly increased in sophistication as the associated technology improved. Initial theories have given way to quantifiable data as consumers have become dependent upon mobile devices for virtually every sector of life. Business success often depends on attracting consumer attention (Davenport and Beck, 2001); within this context, scholars and strategists practice attention-based marketing, drawing insights from consumer behavior, vision research, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience, to optimize marketing efforts (Orquin and Wedel, 2020).
If you aren’t interested in reading long, sophisticated, eye-tracking studies, please check out my own personal guidelines to improve your writing content and ensure it doesn’t go unnoticed.
  • Titles and Headings: Do not take up character space on words that aren't quality adjectives, and adverbs. The first 8 characters matter when trying to keep your site's visitors reading.
  • KISS: Always deploy the "KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID" principle when writing a blog for content. Let's face it, we’ve all become less patient as a result of internet speed, fast food, and countless other convenience factors available in today's market. There's a very small market of people who like to read long, drawn out journal-like stories about your business. If you can't keep your story concise, and to the point, break it down into three separate posts.
  • Visually appealing content: Poor image quality sets the standard for your brand. Don't lose out on legitimacy because you didn't take advantage of the plethora of stock photos for purchase online. I find myself always going back to Pond 5.
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Written By

Dina Young

Dina Young, CEO Launch Huntsville. A leader with an entrepreneurial mindset and team oriented spirt.

  • We build strong brand identities, results, and partnerships.
  • We build strong brand identities, results, and partnerships.