MOTHER'S DAY SPECIALS - CLICK HERE

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Our free click-through in the newsletters of www.matamata-info.co.nz - www.tearoha-info.co.nz - www.thames-info.co.nz - www.morrinsville-info.co.nz goes to the following town websites - www.matamata-info.co.nz/MatamataClubInc (check out what's on at the Club!) - www.thames-info.co.nz/temata (fancy an Autumn break?) - www.tearoha-info.co.nz/HolidayPark (consistently Te Aroha's most popular website) - www.morrinsville-info.co.nz/market (definitely worth a visit!)

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April Stats - 14234 Pageviews from 6367 unique visitors. April's top directories in order of popularity were - www.matamata-info.co.nz/jellicoe-farmstay www.matamata-info.co.nz/bayleys www.matamata-info.co.nz/countrylodge www.matamata-info.co.nz/TirauGolfClub www.matamata-info.co.nz/stocker

Our most visited index pages, in order of popularity were: ACCOMMODATION - BUSINESSES - INFORMATION - ATTRACTIONS - REAL ESTATE - MAP

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Website Content? (Part 1 of 2)

Almost all the experts these days recommend that you have lots of good content on your website. Sounds like good advice, doesn't it? But what does it mean?  

Quite simply, content is the stuff on your site. Good content is useful information or tools that your visitors will find helpful. It means different things to different businesses and the bottom line is that what constitutes "good content" depends on the goal of your site.   Here are some examples of different type of content:  

Core Site Pages   These are the heart pages of your site, the pages that are the core of why you built a site in the first place. They explain your mission or goals, who you are and detail the products/services/information available through your site. The best place to start with "good content" is making sure these pages are as complete as possible and answer all of a user's potential questions.  

Typical pages that visitors expect to find on a site are:  

* About Us

* Contact Us

* Products/Services/Activities

* FAQ

* Information (delivery/privacy/consumer guarantee)  

Your pages should be written in the style and voice to appeal to your potential customers. It can make a difference between just getting traffic and getting traffic that converts into sales or business.   Make your core site pages a priority and ensure that they are easy-to-read, complete, and informative before working on other content.  

Complementary Pages   Complementary pages enhance and expand on your core site pages. These are the information pages that can really make a difference and help set you apart from your competitors.  

For product sites, you might offer detailed product reviews, extensive "how-to" pages for product usage, special print-friendly detail pages, creative ideas for other uses, customer feedback and testimonials, or help pages that go over and above the standard.  

For service sites, the complementary pages might deal with how you do what you do, your qualifications, common myths and misperceptions about the service or do-it-yourself tips for situations where a professional is not needed.  

For affiliate or advertising sites, complementary pages are the key element that will set your site apart from the competition. What will attract people to your site instead of the others? Is it a community, more detailed information, news or freebies?   Complementary pages can offer additional information about your company such as how long you've been in business, details of the clients you handle, industry recognition and awards or even statements of your total commitment to customer service.

These pages aren't critical to the operation of your site like the Core Site Pages are, but they help differentiate your site from others in the field and give visitors a reason to choose to do business with you.  

Human Interest   People love the real person touch - if you don't believe that, watch a little "reality TV"! People just like to learn about other people. How can you relate that "real people" fascination to your website?   How do people USE what you sell? How do your services improve people's lives?

A travel service isn't selling a hotel, it's selling fun in the sun or amenities that make your time away from home easier.

Accounting software isn't just about the numbers; it's about getting tasks done faster and more accurately with more detail.

A sporting goods site isn't just selling fishing gear; it's selling relaxation. When you think about the benefits, about WHY people want what you sell, it's a lot easier to brainstorm creative content ideas.  

A large plastics manufacturer created a section in their site where people could send in amazing stories about how their rubbish bins had survived falling trees and hurricanes.

A baby product site set up a photo gallery where customers could send in their cutest pictures of their baby using the company's products.

A men's tie manufacturer invited customers to send in a picture of their ugliest tie along with a few sentences about it - and featured an ugly tie next to each wonderful new tie!  

In all the examples above, the "human interest" content reinforces the brand - strong, durable rubbish bins, products babies love, ties that look great - while adding a little emotion and interest. By focusing on the people and using the product as a backdrop, you subtly reinforce the credibility of your brand.  

Industry Pages   Establish credibility and authority by including information that spans your industry.

Write articles about your industry - this is a great idea. Try not to simply parrot back what you've heard and read from others, but add your own opinion to the article. Yes, people are interested in your point of view!

Articles can often be submitted to other information sites in your industry, which is a great way to get incoming links to your site.  

Other author's industry articles are a great and fast way to build content on your site. If you aren't much of a writer or feel you have nothing to add to the information already published, collect the best articles from your industry and (with permission) reprint them on your site or link to them. While they are not unique content, they can add value to your site if you select them carefully. Don't reprint anything and everything available - be selective and only reprint content that you agree with and is helpful to your visitors. You want people to trust in the information that you are recommending they read.    

More to Come!   In Part 2 of "Website Content?" we will look at ways to continue to add fresh content that will draw traffic to your site.

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This month we show the Usage by Country stats - Visitors from 65 countries have checked out www.matamata-info.co.nz ...

 

Top 30 of 65 Total Countries
#	Hits		Files		KBytes		Country
1	11764	35.69%	8925	41.74%	109833	41.31%	New Zealand (Aotearoa)
2	9065	27.50%	4013	18.77%	49644	18.67%	US Commercial
3	4628	14.04%	3313	15.50%	42596	16.02%	Unresolved/Unknown
4	3137	9.52%	2054	9.61%	25923	9.75%	Network
5	952	2.89%	736	3.44%	8566	3.22%	Australia
6	365	1.11%	186	0.87%	2363	0.89%	Japan
7	361	1.10%	242	1.13%	2720	1.02%	United Kingdom
8	313	0.95%	233	1.09%	2772	1.04%	US Educational
9	216	0.66%	143	0.67%	1935	0.73%	Netherlands
10	202	0.61%	159	0.74%	1950	0.73%	Canada
11	170	0.52%	99	0.46%	1420	0.53%	Germany
12	160	0.49%	121	0.57%	865	0.33%	Denmark
13	116	0.35%	99	0.46%	937	0.35%	Italy
14	116	0.35%	92	0.43%	1193	0.45%	Turkey
15	112	0.34%	101	0.47%	1048	0.39%	South Africa
16	106	0.32%	92	0.43%	808	0.30%	Poland
17	85	0.26%	54	0.25%	700	0.26%	China
18	79	0.24%	68	0.32%	666	0.25%	Non-Profit Organization
19	76	0.23%	67	0.31%	783	0.29%	Slovak Republic
20	69	0.21%	62	0.29%	673	0.25%	Brazil
21	55	0.17%	41	0.19%	396	0.15%	Norway
22	54	0.16%	48	0.22%	646	0.24%	Argentina
23	54	0.16%	49	0.23%	1078	0.41%	Sweden
24	42	0.13%	35	0.16%	411	0.15%	Malaysia
25	38	0.12%	34	0.16%	296	0.11%	France
26	37	0.11%	24	0.11%	271	0.10%	Czech Republic
27	36	0.11%	24	0.11%	224	0.08%	Spain
28	36	0.11%	23	0.11%	291	0.11%	Luxembourg
29	35	0.11%	25	0.12%	344	0.13%	Taiwan
30	32	0.10%	28	0.13%	478	0.18%	Papua New Guinea