*Okay, maybe we’re not the best content writers in the entire world and from time to time might rely on the Grammarly discount we get, to use the software for its on-point plagiarism tool, but we are the top result for “Seattle Marketing” on Google.

So you’ve crafted the perfect headline, now what? You want to create content that’s not only valuable to your current followers and customers but also attracts new customers. A major component of driving traffic to your small business blog is the headline, but the content below the headline is your chance to build credibility and sell your business to new customers for free.

Here are some of my top tips for writing content for your website and/or small business blog:

1. Do your research

Spend some time searching for articles related to what you want to talk about. Do your competitors write similar content? Or are there general articles online on the same topic? Researching before you write can do two things:

Allow you to find inspiration – perhaps a fresh approach to the topic you hadn’t thought of. Or perhaps they have links to other great informational sources that you’d like to use as well.
Allow you to differentiate your content – it’s understandable to think that reading a lot of articles on your topic could lead you to unintentionally copy or mimic that material too closely. But if you do it right, it can allow you take a unique approach or perspective in your writing that might not have been done yet! See what’s out there and try to put yourself in your customers’ shoes to understand what they’re looking for.

2. Include links to your sources

If you reference information you found on another site, it’s important to include a hyperlink to that content. This not only adds credibility to your content, but is just proper online etiquette. Just be sure to edit the link so it opens the page in a new tab and doesn’t direct the reader around from your page

Pro-tip: include links to other relevant pages or articles on your own website! I did this at the beginning of the article when referencing my blog post on crafting headlines. This internal linking will not only help point your reader to other helpful information but will prompt them to spend more time on your site. And it helps spread page authority!

3. Don’t keyword stuff

Previously, I had strongly emphasized the importance of using keywords in your headlines for search engine optimization. It’s rational to think that you can further optimize your content by using that keyword many more times in your text body. But keyword stuffing your content makes your text more difficult to read, can be an annoying red flag to readers, and if done consistently, can actually be penalized by search engines.

For example, if I were to write a variety of blog posts about SEO and used the term “SEO” hundreds of times throughout my text, it’s not going to make my content any more relevant or credible to searchers or search engines. In fact, my post would probably end up ranking even lower once my bounce rate kept increasing (readers clicking on my post, seeing it’s terrible, then immediately leaving).

4. KISS it

Usually an acronym for “keep it simple, stupid,” I use it to remember to “keep it simple and short.” As attention spans decrease and the internet’s content volume increases, you want to keep your text brief and easy to understand.

5. Include a CTA (Call to Action)

If your content is actually closely related to your business’ products or services, then it should be easy to include a CTA in your text. Often, this CTA is included at the end of the article to prompt readers to use that information they just consumed. For example, if I wrote an article about how small businesses can use social media to build brand awareness, I could include a link for readers to:

Call us for more information
Download our “Small Business Social Media Guide”
Or fill out a contact form to request a quote for our Social Media Package

If I was able to prove our expertise in social media for small businesses then small business owners will be more likely to contact us about our services.

6. Use canonical URL tags

If you’re pumping out lots of great blog posts for your site, it’s probable that some of your content will overlap. Or perhaps you’re even re-posting great content you found on another site. In that situation, it’s not enough to just note the original author or link back to the original article.

If you’re ever creating “duplicate content” (either re-writing a new version of an old blog post or reposting content from another site) it’s an essential SEO rule to use canonical URL tags to tell search engines that a particular article is not the original. This makes sure that you are not penalized for copying or plagiarizing content. To learn more about canonical URLs and how to use them, check out this great Yoast article here.