Fresh News Content Brings Solid Rewards

Search experts have found more evidence to show that adding fresh content to websites brings better results in the search engines.

Sally Falkow of SearchNewz.com says that more and more posts in digg and other social media sites are appearing at the top of a SERP (search engine results page), indicating that the search engines are placing a higher emphasis on topical and up-to-date content.

Sally adds that in addition to the search engine benefits, fresh content shows visitors that you are alive and well.

Andrew Goodman, in a post at SearchEngineLand says that websites need a “pulse factor”. He writes, “If you’re not alive, exciting, and present, you seem, well, dead, boring, and absent”. This is something webmasters could get away with a few years ago, but now the bar has been raised. Visitors expect interesting and fresh content on their favourite sites. It might cost some time and money, but “long-term rewards tend to come to those who stay top of mind."

Compared to the cost of PPC (pay per click) online advertising, bringing in traffic through new content and organic search is remarkably cost-efficient.

Cybonet, a London-based SEO agency, recently did an analysis of a business-to-business client. Their 2007 PPC average cost per visitor was 33p. The cost per visitor as a direct result of new content that had been written last year, was only 12p and from social media i.e. spending time posting on blogs and Facebook etc was 23p.  In this case there was no difference in the conversion rates on visits originating from both sources.  However many people report better conversion rates from visitors coming through from clicking organic search listings.

According to online research firm eMarketer, over £15 billion will be spent on various forms of Internet advertising in 2008.  That number is going up and up, and as competition for the best ad placements rises, the cost per click from online advertising also rises.  All the while the cost of adding quality news and articles remains reasonably steady. Plus there is the all-important added benefit of giving the website a beating ‘pulse’.