Constant-Content isn't just a place to buy stock content that will fill up the vacuum of space created by building or expanding your site.  It is a sophisticated marketplace providing the most comprehensive vehicle for developing and maintaining the meat for your online sandwich.  Even though the mechanisms for using the site are fairly straight forward there are some tricks to get more bang for your buck on the site.

First off, make sure that you know what you want.  Even if you simply want to browse the aisles and catalogs of existing articles on our site, it is important to have a conceptual map of how you want your content to look, both as site map and as a topical map.  Thoroughly building out sets of questions you think your customers are asking is integral to the successful implementation of any content you'll purchase on our site.  It will help you understand your company's place in your economic space.

Once you have this plan mapped out, then you can move on to figuring out the best course of action to acquire the appropriate content.  There are three basic routes to this end.

- Buy content from the catalog of existing content
- Send out a Public Request to the whole writer community
- Submit a Private Request to a specific author

There are benefits and drawbacks to each option.

Buying existing content can open you to other topics in your area that you hadn't considered yet.  It also means that you get the content and publish it immediately.  It can also help you determine which writers have the style and expertise that you want for your site.  You can determine which license rights you want and even submit offers to articles that are open to bidding.

Public Requests are a great way to get familiar with the site and how it works.  The request is released to the entire community and authors interested in the topics write and submit articles directly to your account.  You will be able to easily view each submitted article from your request page, and peruse the various options before deciding which one most closely fits your needs.  This is a great option for buyers that want a variety of voices on their site or want multiple articles on the same topic.  Remember you don't pay for anything until you find exactly what you want!

Private Requests are the most customized and controllable form of content creation.  This allows the buyer to pick the best writer or writers for the job they need completed, and have them privately work on the content.  Using the Private Request feature gives customers the chance to develop a relationship with specific writers leading to greater efficiency in turn around time and greater end result accuracy.  Projects with longer timelines and more complex topics are perfect for this type of request framework.  Recurring blog posts, updated new articles and topical series can be managed effectively by picking a couple of our expert writers to work long term with your company.

For any clarification about any of the content options on Constant-Content please make sure to contact Support.  We are here to help make sure that your project best ensures long term success for your online business.

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Constant Content has a database of hundreds of thousands of articles on popular and niche topics. Searching for articles on the website usually garners results, but what if you don't see an article that meets your requirements for a  project? Constant Content's writers are waiting to write customized articles for you – you just have to tell them what you need!

The basic process is simple: you send in a request; writers create articles for your request; submissions are assessed for quality and originality by editing staff; you comb through the submissions that automatically appear in your inbox to arrive at a final purchase decision.  By tailoring your request carefully, you can make the process even easier. Consider the advice that follows the next time you send in a request for content.

The first question writers who are interested in a particular request ask is, “What does this customer want?” Their goal is to write articles that meet your needs, but they can't do that unless they know what your needs are. Remember that writers are information-oriented people. The more information you offer about your desires and expectations, the fewer questions they will have about what they should be writing and from what perspective. You will see more articles that are customized to your given criteria, increasing your options and reducing the number of irrelevant submissions that appear in your inbox.

To achieve this, what information should you include in a request for content?
- Consider your topic, but consider subtopics, too. Are there particular aspects of your topic that you are interested in?
- Tell the writer about your audience – to whom will they be directing the information?
- Share what you are trying to accomplish – do you want to sell a product, supplement existing content, include the article in a weekly newsletter, or something else?

Be sure to have an idea about the desired length of the article and communicate it in your request. This helps writers determine how much detail they should provide about the subject.

As an example, let's say you are looking for articles about dogs. That's a pretty big topic. Narrow the scope of the request to particular subtopics you are interested in (dog health, dog grooming, dog training, puppy care, dog products?). Consider the tone you would like authors  to take. Do you want lighthearted weird-but-true fact articles for your website about funny pet antics? Or do you need more formal articles that use authoritative sources for an animal health advice website? What is the purpose of the article? Will it be included in a newsletter or do you want to help boost your site's attractiveness to search engines? How long do you want the article to be? Do you want short, snappy writing to accompany dog product descriptions or articles that will encourage your readers to click through multi-page articles?

By taking a few more minutes to customize your request, you can boost your chances of receiving articles that more accurately fit your specifications.

If you need assistance tailoring your request, we can help you ask important questions related to your project that will enable you to include more detailed information to writers.

ED 'the great and terrible' ITOR

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We often expound here at Constant-Content on the pragmatic value of Content to your site's search engine ranking.  But there is another way that content can be used to increase the value of your site.

One of the most important indicators of the success of a website is the presence that the site has in other corners of the web, not just the position that it sits in the search engines results pages.  When consumers are searching for information on a particular subject they often turn to blogs and advice sites to start their info-gathering process.  When we see names on these respected blogs, advice or news sites, we begin to develop a sense of the experts and trusted names in the particular field.  This presents a particularly unique opportunity to develop a non-commercial version of your business message.

The first step to successful message placement is to build a list of topics that you would like to be seen as an expert on.  As yourself what solutions you are providing to the consumer, then try to imagine the tentacles that radiate out from there.  By developing a good list of top level topics and lower level topics that you feel would appeal to your clients, you can build a set of articles that cultivate your 'expert' status.

Once you've done this, you now need to have the articles written.  It is important to remember that unlike articles on your site, these articles need more expertise language than sales message.  Avoid making these articles too direct in their underlying call to action.  Authors should stick to generating solid, well researched information and you will be ready to begin placing these articles in front of your potential clients.

The next thing to do is to find the best places you can post these articles.  Look for busy blogs in your space, advice columns, or even a wikipedia page if there isn't a lot of other stuff already out there.  Send out lots of emails asking if you could publish one or two posts, and all you ask is that you get a byline at the bottom of the page.  Most sites are looking for more and more content every day, so you should find a good reception for these inquiries.

Good luck and remember, expertise is something that people depend on to make good decisions on the internet.  Use content to position yourself as an expert in your field.

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Following the closure of the caffeine testing sandbox, we are now seeing the staged Google's roll out of its new search algorithm.  As opposed to some of the past iterations, search results had to deal with the delay between the versions of pages indexed by the Search Engines, and then page viewed by the user.  Often, this lag time could be as much as 30 days, but Google is suggesting now that time could be cut in half (though tests have shown almost instantaneous updating for new content on existing sites), allowing for greater accuracy to your most current search result.

In the wake of the Sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks, Google realized that updates to websites needed to be searchable in real time.  This realization led to Google News being introduced. Over the last ten years, during a time when lightening fast information metabolisms were being spurred on by vast arrays of blogs, news sites and social media, an algorithm that could process and repeat visit sites faster and more efficiently, keeping up with the search parameters for continuously changing content production, has been the end goal for Google's search engine.

Since June 2010, Google has been resolving to release Caffeine, a new algorithm to support its back end search capabilities.  Obviously the full nature of the systems parameters in unknown and we will have to wait and see how it all shakes out, but the consensus from SEO professional is clear, web business operators are going to have to be more agile with their rate of content production.  Sites that have consistently updated content pages will indubitably rank better and have more visibility as Google trends towards ranking pages for visitation based on a history of dynamism with their content.

Constant-Content has the ability to keep your site competitive in this changing landscape.  GIve support an email to discuss ongoing content projects or blogging services.

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