MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

Maki, from www.doshdosh.com, wrote an interesting post lamenting the lack of originality in blog writing. She refers specifically to the glut of “top tips” blogs and the “How to increase your traffic” posts that litter cyber space, which she feels rehash every other blog on the same subject and offer nothing new. She has a very good point.

When I first started writing blogs I sought refuge in these types of posts. They aren’t particularly challenging. Someone else has already done the research so you don’t have to think too much about your writing. My editor must have done her nut every week as I spewed out one generic post after the other. It took a while but fortunately I have learnt better, at least I hope I have.

Writing stale content is boring, so it’s reasonable to assume that reading it must be equally mind numbing. Creating interesting content takes a bit more work but is infinitely more rewarding. Not only do you feel satisfaction in a job well done, but you also contribute to establishing your site’s reputation as one of the freshest and most innovative in its field.

Posing challenging questions and playing devil’s advocate to some of the most generally accepted norms will inspire interesting discussions among your readers, and isn’t that the primary reason for writing blogs? Creating stimulating conversations is one of the best ways to increase traffic and build online relationships. After all, even the top ten tips said so.

Expressing your views and opinions (in a logical, well thought out manner, of course) distinguishes you from other writers in the field. There is a sense of freedom involved in original writing that you don’t feel when regurgitating someone else’s views. That freedom in turn frees up your writing style and allows you to improve as a writer, which leads to more original thought, which lends itself to more creative writing. Once the cycle gains momentum, it’s difficult to stop it.

You can’t be stunningly creative all of the time. Everyone has dull days, when writing anything is like chewing cotton wool. In other words, very unpleasant. Those are the days when it’s better not to publish anything, as you’re more likely to write something vapid. Vapid content does nothing to contribute to your site’s unique identity. A better idea is to climb into research, scour the net for trends and find out what your competitors are writing about.

There are those who will think that by piggy-backing on Maki’s blog I have contradicted myself, thereby proving her point. I’ll explain why this is not the case in my next post, “Top 10 indicators of unique creativity”.