So what is all the talk about having a lot of "content" on my website? And what is "content" exactly? And how will it help my business grow and prosper? I get these questions from my internet students all of the time. Let me say thisHaving a lot of great content is one of the key ingredients to those websites that are successful and profitable.

Once I explain the value of content to my students they almost always chime back with "but I can't write!" Never fear, there is always an answer for the creative mind.

1. Don't Like to Write - Find Those that Do

One of the simplest solutions if you don't like to write is to find those that do.
Where? Elance.com is a good place to start. They have all kinds of writers that write on all subjects. Sign up for an account and post a job. Try to be as specific as possible as to your writing needs. For example, topic, style, word count and so on. You will receive back bids from a numbers of authors. Read what they have to say and read their sample works. A little tip: if you go with the cheapest guy on the block, you will probably get poor work. So it is better to at least go middle of the road in terms of pricing. Expect to pay a minimum of $15 an article for about 400 words or so. Another little tip is to give 2 authors the same project and see which one produces the better work.

2. Press Release - Hear all About It!

There is a fine company called PRWeb.com that will distribute your press releases. It's not free and depending upon what kind of "contribution" you want to make, it will cost anywhere from $10 to $80. The key here is to study their website and learn. A Press release is not a sales letter and they post guidelines and even have a teleconference to let you know how to get the most out of your press release campaign. I highly recommend it. I would recommend doing a $10 press release to get started as a way of walking before you run. The first time I used the service I made a few blunders unknowingly and was glad I hadn't spent the $80! This tool can be invaluable to get your information out to thousands of resources with your website address on it.

3. OPA - Other People's Articles

You can go to any number of article directories and use their articles for FREE. But remember to use the author's resource box at the end of the article or you are violating copyright laws. A resource box has the author's name, small bio and their website address. Go to Google, type in 'Article Directories' and a whole slew of them will appear. I like to go with the better known ones that have quality content. I have all of my articles at tops directories like www.articlecity.com and www.ezinearticles.com. Those are two good resources and of course, there are about two dozen more or so. Most article directories are organized by subject matter or expert authors and you can do your searches quite easily. If you find an author you really enjoy, it would be wise for you to make contact with them. Let them know you would like to be on their update list when they produce new articles.

4. Clubs, Organizations and Trade Magazines

Let's say that you need content for your gardening website that specializes in perennial gardens. There are probably thousands of gardening clubs, organizations and trade magazines that have newsletters or materials you can reprint. Contact them and let them know you are looking for quality articles, newsletters, tips, secrets, ideas on perennial gardens. You might just be surprised how much information they would be willing to share as long as you give them credit for their work and publish their website address in return.

5. Start a Blog - Never-ending content

Try blogspot.com and set up your free blogger on your website. If you don't know how to do it, just get your favorite webmaster to set it up. It isn't that complicated but it can be invaluable. You can get it going by making your own posts. You can share your own information like " 3 Easy ways to keep your gardens bug free this summer" or you may have read something in a magazine that says " Ortho has come out with Zappit bug spray that will keep your gardens beautiful all summer longI have used it and here is what I found that maybe useful to you." You can comment, question, inform on a blog. Keep your blog useful and people will come to visit and hopefully contribute regularly.

6. Testimonials - Why people should do business with you?

The more testimonials you can get the better. You may have to offer an incentive for people to take the time to write you a testimonial longer than a sentence or two. Let's say you sell custom made cowboy hats. You know people love them because they come back and buy more than one. You could offer an incentive such as "If you love our cowboy hats, we would love to hear about it. When we receive your letter telling us why you love our hats so much, we will send you a coupon for 20% off your next hat purchase." And then you have a testimonials section flooded with letters from your customers. If you can scan them in so people can see the originals, all the better for credibility.

7. Reviews - Your opinion counts!

Let's say you sell high end power tools to the custom furniture builder. You could write reviews on the different products pointing out the positive and negative features. Trade journals in this field probably have reviews of products as well and the companies who manufacture them. You can re-word them to fit accordingly. Or better yet, if you have used the tools, you are skilled enough to let people know what features are great and why they should buy it.

Hopefully, you now understand how to get great content on your site without picking up a pen or pounding away on the keyboard. Our next article will discuss why content is so important and how it can help you with your search engine rankings and ultimately result in sales.