The Internet is full and still expanding. How many different ways can you say the same thing? Content writers, clients, and readers are three aspects around which content is created. That is the perspective of creating content based on instructions, buying content for an intended purpose, and reading content to glean information. All three views are different and yet they are linked by motive. The question for content writers is how do you produce content that is original when so much content already exists? This, however, is not just a problem that writers face, but also a problem in which clients must become more involved.
Writers’ Instructions
The fist link in the chain of creating content is the instructions that are created by the client. Have you ever had an awful allergy day? You feel slow, sluggish and, despite the fact that you have things to do, you just drag. Your site suffers much the same way when it does not have great content. You keep publishing content and your site is not rising in the SERPs. Your traffic levels are not thrilling and whatever you have been doing is not helping. Maybe it is your content. There is so much content out there that it becomes harder for search engines to differentiate between two similar pieces of content. That may not be the fault of the writer. It may have more to do with the way clients write instructions. The key to creating original content is not just about Copyscape results. It is about offering something truly different to the reader. Rather then retelling the story over and over, encourage the writer to make it personal. Liven up the same drab content by changing the perspective. Tell a story. Change the voice. Those are all things that clients can address in their instructions to writers.
Use Revisions as a Positive Tool
Clients can improve the content that they receive by using revisions as a tool. This is more about building a long-term positive relationship with a group of writers than being picky about content. Help writers by making sure your instructions are clear. Remember that writers work for dollars per hour even though you are paying them by the piece. Understanding that is important. When you find a good writer and you love the content they are creating for you, tell them that. Inspired writers create excellent content. Encourage communication and creativity.
Encourage Citations
Copied content is only part of the problem. The bigger parasitic boil is conceptual ideas that are used without credit. How do you write a historical piece that is rich in facts and does not cite a source? How do you write a celebrity piece when you were not there without citing a source? These are not just pickles with which writers must contend, clients also need to be involved. Demanding the use of citation is a normal part of the publication process. It also adds credibility to your site. Mix the cited content with content that is fresh and from a new perspective. That is how you create original content. When you master this, the allergy-like symptoms that your site experiences might just disappear.
Resources:
1. Citing Electronic Information by Ipl2
2. Scraped content – Google’s Views
3. Voice in Writing -Writers Digest
4. Instructions to Authors and Reviewers – Oxford Journals
David S is a content writer, a cecidologist in training, and a great lover of the outdoors. When not ferreting out facts for clients he can be found midway up oak trees looking at wasps, plant galls, and entomological relationships.
