How to Create Fresh Content?

I understand the value of having constant fresh content on my site. Fresh content helps in the serps and helps greatly with getting spidered frequently. I think the value of fresh content to the search algos is greatly underrated. Its time this subject is revisited.

I'd like to discuss ALL of the possible methods of creating this fresh content.

So far, I know of:

1) Create a blog, and keep blogging frequently.
2) Have a newsfeed on your site
3) Have a spiderable forum (great one!)

What other methods are there of creating constant fresh content? Please, tell me all of them, especially the more obscure ones!

Oh, I forgot: Please only talk about legitimate techniques, not have a sentence on a page switch back and forth, etc. Thats just tricking the search engines.

Adding unique content yourself!!! Fresh doesn't have to be 'update every hour', but can be a few times a week or even just once a week. You can also take content from other web sites, where it's not copyrighted. That's an EASY way to get a ton of content!!!!

You can even re-write your copy. Just by changing things up, adding & deleting a few sentences here & there you get the same bonus.

On my site, I just use a mini-blog where every day I add a date, title and a 'tip' on the industry - sometimes I write about the same thing, but it's a paragraph of fresh content every day and it provides a 10-20 ranking boost (from about 50 w/o it to 30 with it). I set it up on recommendation fomr Fathom - thanks!

I like your mini blog idea, Randfish. Unfortunately, these days I have very little to blog about! Blog writers block!

I know how you feel except I have forum writers block. I blog about 5 - 6 articles of unique content a idea and by the time I make it to the 2 forums I mod I end up drawing a blank.

I'm personally working on a blog for my site (an online dating one) at the moment. I'll be using Mambo so that I can host all the static pages that I need (terms and conditions, privacy policies etc...) but will use the blog to detail news, events, competitions and so on.

The nature of my site is a serious lack of content on most pages, so the inclusion of a blog for me is almost a must. It'll provide me with the fresh content needed so that Google recognises the changing and expanding nature of the site.

Does anyone here know how I can import Yahoo's XML news feed onto my site? How is this accomplished?

I've seen syndication scripts, but they all require a link back to script makers site. I'd rather not link to such a site, but I'll link to the Yahoo news articles.

I figure between this and my blog, I should have a pretty fresh site.

Be like EGOL. Know a topic very well and write or assemble substitive quality content. That may help in the serps and get quality backlinks. I believe the content on badastronomy includes lots of substitive content.

We provide constant updates. We have kept our ranking for about 5 months, 6th in google. Our competitors have lots more backlinks. Can't tell if its helping in serps. Its certainly not hurting. No one is passing us for the time being.

Updating content is very positive for our visitors. We get conversions from it and comments from those who converted saying that they liked the updates.

We are adding some small articles we wrote for various other web publications for the backlinks. We think they are better suited for outside the site than inside.

Dave

I share EGOLs philosophy on authorship and content creation. My website is an informational site, which I am building as an advertising platfom for my online course.

Side note: Does EGOL own or is connected to Badastronomy? Is he Phil Plait?

No. (Unless he is faking out all of us)

My site deals with a light subject. It doesn't lend itself to serious writing. What we do is provide constant updates about success stories, add pictures and other information which visitors like, and try and get them to contact us for our service. I'm sure we could be doing it better, and more salesy. We do the content ourselves. We're not great.

The stuff that is more even handed and less salesy is what we are putting on web article sites. These have links back to us. Some of them are showing in the top 50 or 100 or 200 for our main kw phrase so we assume the links have themed value.

Since we started adding lots of fresh content our total # of visits has tripled. Actual unique visitors has only gone up about 30-50% I think. Primarily from higher serps. Many of those who convert return to the site 2-10 times before they convert. Our conversions are close to double what they were. I believe content has helped us...and I'm sure it could be done much better.

Dave

I like your idea of writing articles and distributing them for links. This week I've started collecting sites that take article submissions. Some of these can give you a nice PR4 backlink!

None of these ideas are mine. I learn them all through the forums. Long live the forums.


Dave

Lets make it simple and easy for you. Let others help you keep your content fresh by creating ways for them to give you valuable input that is posted on your site. Create a "guest book" or a 'Visitor comments" area where responsible visitors (those willing to give you information) can review your site and give you some suggestions for improvement. If your traffic is reasonable you will have fresh and RELEVANT content added to your site frequently. All you have to do is watch out for the bad eggs and dissallow access from time to time. Good luck! PM

Blog writing need not be a hard and time consuming task.

When you post to your business blog, think of it not as "blogging", but as a regular SEO and marketing effort. Bloggers are free and genrous linkers, and they will link to an quote good blog posts freely.

Write for your current and future customers. Review products in your industry. Provide industry news in your local area, city, state, country, and internationally. Comment on the latest business news affecting your industry.

Talk about how you developed a new product or service, but not written like ad, but as a conversation with your readers. Think of blogging as a conversation with your readers. Talk about how you handled a customer problem, describing what you did right and how it could be improved next time. Business tips are always widely read, and linked.

Have your comments system turned on to accept reader comments. Other bloggers love to leave comments. Don't worry about spammers, as they can be deleted and blocked. To worry about spammers is to throw out the entire barrel for a single bad apple.

Blogs can rank very highly on the search engines. Check out my ranking for "business blog" or "business blog". I have to move up from #2 to #1 out of 11 million plus.

Blogs are a powerful tool. Get one working for you today.