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Some websites don’t attract anyone. Then there are other sites that get tons of attention. The difference between these two types of sites boils down to two things. One has to do with findability and two has to do with usability.

Findability is a term for the ease with which information contained within a website can be found, both from outside the website (using search engines and the like) and by users already on the website.

The web is full of content being added by the billions daily.  Some of the content contains new information, unique perspectives, knowledge and relevancy to others (context). Much of the content adds little value to others if people can’t find it—on or off your site, so it remains static and garners little (if any) attention. If the content is not being seen, then the value it provides to the supplier, buyer, or even the entire marketplace, is basically insufficient.

Value is a currency that can be added to, expanded upon, shared and propagated to others—or it can be deleted. The purpose of a website’s content is to add value to the reader, which in turn creates a valuable currency for others to use for whatever purpose.  But they can’t use it if they can find it—and this is why search engine optimization (SEO) has become so important in the Digital Era. This is also why dynamic content on your site has become more and more important because the dynamics of SEO are continuously changing and it is a lot more than just insuring your site has the right tags initially.

What Is The Value of Your Content?

Today’s web presents a new “system” of value creation through and from conversational currency presented as content. The irony of this evolving “system” is that it is largely influenced by the preferences and privileges of people looking for value that speaks to them in terms they understand and they are “searching” for every day. These dynamics are creating new rules to old games. The new rules are people centric and value driven.  The value of your media, which is supposed to be social, isn’t within the technology; rather it gets created by understanding how to create value from using the technology correctly. Value creation follows the 80/20 rule. The bulk of any value you create is not from the technology—it is created with what you do with it.

The value of a web page is driven by findability and usability.  The rules that influence both are fueled by human behavior. What people look for, why they look for it, and the purpose of looking for it are subjects of ongoing studies by the giants of the industry such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple. Their findings influence the entire framework of the web—both desktop and mobile. The rules of SEO are constantly changing, and the stakes for producing valuable content are continually rising.

If you don’t know the new rules of value creation on the web then you are likely to stand out like a “Billboard in the Desert”. A Billboard in the desert doesn’t get much attention, nor does it create much attraction or affinity to an audience.  You’ll get more action and attraction if people can find you and when they find your content usable.

 At DevDigital we recently added more resources dedicated to helping our clients stay ahead of the changing landscape of SEO, and resources to help create valuable content that the market can use. If you find yourself needing help on either front please reach out to Maggie Ashworth via email at Maggie@devdigital.com