Become the Authority: Why and How
The hottest commodity the Internet provides is the speedy, practically instant, access to information. People crave useful information. Find a subject of interest for your average surfer and they will come back for more every time. Why? Because people are also lazy. For most Internet surfers, once they find a website that contains web content of interest to them, they will return to that specific website each and every time for that subject. A great example of this is Dictionary.com, who has taken thick, boring dictionaries (and other word resources) online. Of course, if they cannot find your website, then that scenario will never take place. Kill two birds with one stone: aim your online marketing and web content towards becoming the authority for your chosen topic.
Usually online marketing strategies are a combination of search engine optimization and web promotions. There are good and bad ways to go about each one. For SEO, the riskier tactics are referred to as black hat. In a nutshell, these techniques consist of link campaigns that involve paying for link referrals. While this method can certainly produce fast results and catapult your websites ranking quickly, it can also backfire. If search engines decide your links are not quality or deduce the links are paid for and originate from less than trustworthy sites, it will devalue your websites rankings faster than you can imagine.
On the other hand, if you use white hat techniques, it can establish your website as a trustful and quality source of information for the keywords you have chosen. It’s all about having some patience and doing the job the right way from the beginning. Create the content that your users want and need. Be detailed and give proof to back your opinions and advice. People will find you and link to the information. Rather than pay for links, make other domains on related topics that rank for different phrases in your keyword niche. This is a far more effective method, if not slower to produce positive results. In the long run, it will establish your web content as the authority and as you rank, the websites popularity will gain permanent momentum that can carry it right to the top. Continuously add relevant and useful content. The website grows and eventually contains everything on the topic of interest for your users (or at least they will find it on one of your affiliate domains).
You will notice that even dating sites like Match.com are not just offering a way to meet people now. They also offer tons of information on how to find your perfect match. They give dating tips, relationship advice and anything else related to the dating field. If they do not already have online dating counselors, I bet it is in the works.
If you are not sure how to go about designing an online marketing strategy that directs your web content towards being an authority, then follow the tips below to get started.
- Talk about updates on the subject. What’s new? What’s good?
- Ask the questions your users want answers to, then answer those questions in depth.
- Show your readers some proof. Give examples of what you are talking about to back up your advice and opinions.
- Always be adding more content to the website.
- Stay consistent. Try not to alter your message or the main theme of the website. People will come to expect what you originally offered, so stick with it.
- Try not to be wrong. It really helps when people find your information to be reliable more than just most of the time.
- Be the first to know about what is happening on the subject.
- Did I mention that you need to always be adding new content? Always.
- Invite other experts in the field to contribute to the web content you provide.
- Display your information with appropriate presentation. Do not be afraid to use pictures and video to make points and convey ideas.
Joe Knowz 
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