The Content Alchemy Blog

Let me tell you a story … Who, on reading that, doesn’t feel themselves start to engage? Everyone loves a story. Right from childhood, hearing about the adventures of someone else excites and interests us. We can identify with the characters, we enjoy their trials and tribulations vicariously, and we learn from their experiences (I still eat parsley if I’m feeling slightly sick – just as Peter Rabbit did after eating too many carrots). Story…

It is surprising how often I am told ‘I just don’t have the creative gene,’ as though some of us are creative and others are not. Let me dispel an important myth, here and now. Being creative is not an exclusive domain of a ‘lucky few’ or an inherited ability. Yes, for some, there seems to be a preference for creating new ideas (though, often, they envy those who can put those ideas into action and…

When you are seeking inspiration for content, simply lifting your eyes from the PC screen and looking at what is going on in the world can often give you some great ideas. So here are a few ways to draw from what you see, hear and experience in your everyday life to create great content. Let’s get topical What is going on in the news today? What news stories are out there that you can…

If you don’t know what to write about, remember the first rule of content – it needs to speak to your audience. That means, of course, that your content ideas are easier to come up with if you have a specific reader in mind. But, rather more obviously, it means you can askyour audience what they would like you to cover. “What would you like to read about?” So, when you are chatting with someone…

In talking to people about content, far more of the challenges they experience relate to their ‘dynamic content.’ Dynamic content is all the content which is regular, and ever changing (blogs, articles, social media posts and networking pitches for example) – as opposed to ‘static content’ which is only changed from time to time (such as your web pages or a brochure). Static content is much easier to deal with because the biggest obstacle is…

Back in the first of this series I gave you a single message: Website Good!! This blog also gives you a single message: Out of date website bad!!! What happens when someone visits an out of date website? You probably already know the answer to this one. You’ve probably done it yourself. You go to a website and there, on the front page is a ‘Buy one get one free’ offer with an expiry date…

Has it really taken me until blog five to get to the product and services pages? For most business owners, this can feel like the most important place to focus. It is, after all, where you list all the things your business offers which make you money. Very true - but hopefully by now you’ve come to understand that other pages are important for setting the scene and warming up a visitor to the idea…

What is the second most visited page on most businesses’ websites? I only learned the answer to this one recently and it really surprised me. It’s your About pages. Strange, isn’t it but it does make sense. It may not be the second place a new visitor goes (especially not if you’ve got your home page working right for you <<link to previous blog>>) but, as they consider working with you, they will want to find…