Content is the most important factor of a website

[Cedric]

You often see forums that have a bad user interface, default software skin, horrible navigable layout but they are booming in activity. The most important factor of a website's success is creating high-quality and relevant content. The value and relevance of the content is the most important factor in attracting and retaining an audience, rather than the design or other features of the platform. Content is the key to drive engagement and attract visitors.

 

[Kale]

I think so too for sure. Making content that users will engage with and respond to is important IMO. I try to make new threads/topics as often as possible on my own forum.

 

[Arantor]

The notion that content is king has been true for many, many years now, and it will absolutely continue.

Though the looming rise of AI generated "content" everywhere makes me concerned that we're going to lose something in that transition.

 

[Kale]

Though the looming rise of AI generated "content" everywhere makes me concerned that we're going to lose something in that transition.

Well, the dead Internet theory is a thing.

https://digs.net/the-dead-internet-theory/

 

[Arantor]

Yeah, that I can believe. I wonder how much the worldwide energy footprint would go down if we stopped doing so much of this AI engagement for the sake of AI engagement?

 

[Cory]

This is probably a core reason why places like Reddit are so successful, they have content flooding in consistently and in an organized manner.

 

[Heatman]

A website without content? I don't know what to call it. Content is the most important thing in any up and doing website. High quality content too matters and not just any kind of content.

 

[joelr]

Content

It's not just content anymore.

The web is already filled with content. When you look at webmaster forums, almost everything discussed on AJ has already been discussed on several other webmaster forums.

You need unique content.

 

[Cedric]

It's not just content anymore.

The web is already filled with content. When you look at webmaster forums, almost everything discussed on AJ has already been discussed on several other webmaster forums.

You need unique content.

I fail to see how unique content is not content?
Define unique content.

People also tend to want to discuss content on an active community. While you may find every content piece elsewhere - if it’s a dead community, chances are they’ll look somewhere else.

 

[Arantor]

The point Joel is making - and I don't think he's wrong, even though he's perhaps more blunt about it than I am - is that general webmaster discussions/articles, getting started articles, etc. already exist and exist in other places online.

His point is really 'what's unique about AJ content that can't be obtained from any one of myriad other online venues', which is really 'why should people come to AJ for the content' in another form.

Now you could argue 'but the community' but that's not really enough; content is what brings people to the door if you're not doing personal referral type stuff, and any site needs content that must stand out from its peers to get people to the door. There's no shortage of webmaster blogs/forums/spaces with varying levels of advice and insight that are all implicit competition.

 

[joelr]

I fail to see how unique content is not content?
Define unique content.

People also tend to want to discuss content on an active community. While you may find every content piece elsewhere - if it’s a dead community, chances are they’ll look somewhere else.

By the way, you've done a wonderful job with Admin Junkies. I didn't want you to think that you're not.

Arantor explained it better than me. Content for the sake of content isn't actually that useful, especially when compared to the scope of the entire internet. This is what's hard. You're competing on Google against the entire universe of content available on the web: what makes your content attractive, useful, and unique to internet web searchers?

 

[Cedric]

By the way, you've done a wonderful job with Admin Junkies. I didn't want you to think that you're not.

Arantor explained it better than me. Content for the sake of content isn't actually that useful, especially when compared to the scope of the entire internet. This is what's hard. You're competing on Google against the entire universe of content available on the web: what makes your content attractive, useful, and unique to internet web searchers?

My reply may have been a bit blunt - I just woke up at the time when I posted that - and I need time for my brain to process stuff - apologies. But still, it's a decent topic, what really defines unique content - how does someone know it's a unique piece of content? There is probably not a single topic that hasn't been discussed before. So, yes, I agree on unique content, but that is just really hard to achieve. And you need content to get started, content that may not be unique. It gets everything started - and you can focus on unique content when you've been receiving some hits.

 

[Arantor]

I just woke up at the time when I posted that

Yeah, I do that too. Have to be very careful about my immediate lurching-out-of-bed internetting.

 

[Cedric]

Yeah, I do that too. Have to be very careful about my immediate lurching-out-of-bed internetting.

Same, I usually have a bad mood when I wake up, so anything I read is easily misinterpreted.

 

[Arantor]

I usually have a bad mood when I wake up

Most mornings I consider that waking up was a mistake and that the day isn't likely to improve much

 

[guyyanthony]

You often see forums that have a bad user interface, default software skin, horrible navigable layout but they are booming in activity. The most important factor of a website's success is creating high-quality and relevant content. The value and relevance of the content is the most important factor in attracting and retaining an audience, rather than the design or other features of the platform. Content is the key to drive engagement and attract visitors.

i agree 110% its not about the theme, or the appearance if you have good content they will come to you..

 

[joelr]

My reply may have been a bit blunt - I just woke up at the time when I posted that - and I need time for my brain to process stuff - apologies. But still, it's a decent topic, what really defines unique content - how does someone know it's a unique piece of content? There is probably not a single topic that hasn't been discussed before. So, yes, I agree on unique content, but that is just really hard to achieve. And you need content to get started, content that may not be unique. It gets everything started - and you can focus on unique content when you've been receiving some hits.

To clarify even more, I shouldn't have used the phrase unique content.

I should have said content with unique value. This drives to the heart of your communitys value proposition and mission: what are you offering better than anyone else? Are you offering:
-Speed: you post breaking news in your niche better than everyone else
-Exclusivity: you post news that no one else has accessed or seen yet
-Authoritative: you post news from experts
-Comprehensiveness: you offer the widest selection
-Nostalgia: you remind people of the past
Etc.

It's actually quite easy to build value, but most forum webmasters never think about value. They're stuck on engagement and talking for the sake of talking because their focus is on forums.

 

[Ravenfreak]

A website needs unique content to stand out from all the competition. In this day and age it's pretty difficult to come up with unique content on subjects that have many different communities on the web but it can be done in a way to keep members coming back for more. An empty forum isn't going to bring members in either, there's been a few forums throughout the years I haven't joined because it's so empty.

 

[guyyanthony]

A website needs unique content to stand out from all the competition. In this day and age it's pretty difficult to come up with unique content on subjects that have many different communities on the web but it can be done in a way to keep members coming back for more. An empty forum isn't going to bring members in either, there's been a few forums throughout the years I haven't joined because it's so empty.

I 110% agree with this statement <3

 

[Tracy]

You're competing on Google against the entire universe of content available on the web:

And sometimes that "competition" can benefit you.

Simple phrase for something I could find VERY little to help with on the internet (and it's one that most looking for it would use in the niche) when I got some new equipment in:
install zwo eaf on apertura 72mm
Created an article (in AMS) for it on my site after I muddled through figuring out how to do it.... and on both Google and Bing search the first return for that search is an article that I wrote on my site last time I checked. In fact, for the checks I did it ranked higher than some of the YT videos related to how to do it. I've also got quite a few views for that article, and think that may explain why.