This is a Guest Post by Cindy Bidar of AllQualityPLR.com.
It's no secret – especially in light of the most recent Google update – that fresh, unique content is critical to the success of your website. Now, in addition to all the other work you do every day, you need to add “Write a blog post” to your list. You've got plenty of time for that, right?
Probably not. But here are 7 ways you can add fresh content to your blog without spending hours at the keyboard.
Repurpose Older Posts
If you've been blogging for any length of time, you likely have hundreds of articles already on your site. Since old content quickly falls off the front page, chances are – unless you've worked really hard to promote a particular post – no one is reading your old content. Take a look through your old posts and find those which could use a little polish, spend a few minutes updating them, and repost.
Reformat for Greater Exposure
Another great way to repurpose content is to reformat it. Take your old articles and turn them into videos, mind maps, podcasts, or checklists. For non-text items like an audio file, make sure you write a couple of paragraphs of introduction so Google knows what your post is about. Visitors can listen right from their browser, or download to their iPod to enjoy later.
Use Relevant YouTube Videos
Need a quick blog post? Find a relevant video on YouTube and grab the embed link. Just remember, Google can't read video (yet) so if you want to keep the search engines happy, you'll need to write a short, keyword-focused paragraph to introduce your post.
Hire a Ghostwriter
Hiring a ghostwriter is an easy way to get high-quality, unique content created just for you. The cost (and quality) of ghostwriting can vary wildly, though, so be sure you do your homework. Ask colleagues for recommendations, ask potential providers to show you samples of their work, and order one or two articles as a test before committing to a large purchase.
Use High-Quality Private Label Rights Articles
If the cost of a ghostwriter isn't in the budget, consider purchasing some high-quality private label rights articles. Because they're sold to many webmasters, PLR articles are extremely cost effective. The key to using them, though, is in the rewrite. Never post PLR “as is” since many other webmasters will (even though they, too, have been advised against it). Instead, take a few minutes and rewrite it in your own voice, adding your own spin.
Share Free Reprint Articles
While the latest Google update may have knocked the article directories down a few notches in the search results, these massive article repositories can be a gold mine when it comes to generating content. Of course, you can't change the articles you find, so if you're going to use them on your website, write a short introductory paragraph to make it somewhat unique – at least as far as the search engines are concerned.
Another idea for using these articles, though, is to use them in your email autoresponder instead of on your website. This way Google won't ever see them or associate them with your site, but you'll still save time on content creation, since now you won't have to write this week's newsletter.
Get Your Users to Create Content for You
Here's a super-easy way to generate lots of free content – get your readers to create it for you. Here's how: Host a contest asking readers to share their favorite ways to use your product, reasons why they love it, or even they're biggest mistakes when buying. Post the answers to your blog over a series of days. The more publicity you generate for your contest (and the better your prize) the more content you'll get.
With all the other work you have to do, continuous content creation can be a real challenge. Unfortunately, “write a blog post” is one of those things that often gets pushed to the bottom of your to-do list. By mixing these seven content creation strategies, you'll be able to maintain a steady stream of fresh blog posts to keep your readers – and the search engines – happy.
About the Author: Cindy Bidar is a professional writer, seller of top-quality private label rights content, and webmaster. Download the special report, Making PLR Work for You, to get a step-by-step content marketing plan you can start using today.
Follow Cindy on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/allqualityplr
