When you are ready to launch your website, you will want to give visitors enough reason to stick around and see what you have to say. Most visitors will want a quick first impression from a Home Page that looks clean and up-to-date. They will go to the About Page to see who you are. And then, if they have more time, they will start clicking through your articles to see what you know and what might resonate with them.
So, for those of you who are just starting out, what should these initial articles say?
They should offer a variety of foundational information. Together, they will give a person a clear picture of who you are, what you know, and what you do.
How To Start
For these first articles, write about everything you know. It will go much faster if you just write about all the areas of your current expertise. Generate a list of topics that would be easy for you to write about and interesting for others to read. Then just pick the topic that is most appealing to you at the time, and start writing. Don’t worry about editing initially. Just get all of your ideas out there. Later, you can edit.
If you are selling a service, write an article to tell a story about a past experience in working with a particular person. Was there a problem that you helped them solve? What was the outcome? How did they feel about this? You can solicit quotes from them to include with their permission. You can share a list of “things to consider” or “how-to” niche knowledge that would also demonstrate your expertise.
You can share about any relevant books you are reading. Only share a short synopsis, though. Focus on your own insights or just reference it as a segue to your own ideas that were inspired from it. You could also share how the book made a specific impact in how you live or work. You can also write articles about your opinions on specific resources your future customers might need.
And you can write articles about yourself. What things motivate you? Who has influenced you? How do you express yourself creatively? How do you work best? When you share these things, you not only inspire others by your example, but you give people a better picture of who you are, how you work, and what you value.
Just the Beginning
These are just your first articles to your website. Seek to have about 10.
But don’t feel pressure to squeeze everything you know into these 10 articles.
Instead, use this opportunity with this initial content to grow your momentum around writing. You can continue to add new articles to your site as you work with others and grow your business.
Sonya Dalrymple 