July 13th, 2010 by Susie

Using news can be a great way of getting up-to-date, relevant and interesting content on a site. Even if you do not know much about the process of SEO, you may realise that content matters a great deal. High grade content has such influence because users and search engines appreciate it when they encounter it. However, is news provision such a good idea? Dylan Jones recently told The Guardian: “Newspapers are in dire straits because news is everywhere. News is oxygen and it’s a very crowded atmosphere.” It could be that a target audience is not in the mood to absorb any more news.

Search engine optimization is a discipline of considerable complexity. It is really about combining theory and practice successfully in a sustainable manner. A ‘solution’ may suit the needs of one site, but it may have little impact on the fortunes of another. Here is the difficulty and the interest at the heart of the evolving topic. When it comes to news provision, there are arguments for and against. However, the inclusion of high quality industry news interspersed with other types of content can often be part of a royal road to success.

The fact that users may be somewhat alienated from ordinary news may not be a reason to avoid industry news in your content provision. This is because they will have come to your site because they are interested in what you have to offer. The supply of industry news and pertinent commentary can demonstrate that your firm is at the cutting edge of your sector. There are several ways in which you can distinguish your content from the bulk of ‘ordinary’ news:

• Be impartial and avoid any unnecessary bias. Too many newspapers become dull reading over time because they confirm our prejudices rather than challenge them
• Report industry news swiftly, but do not always rush to comment. Too often a hasty judgement is made to look foolish by subsequent events
• Provide opinion and stimulate comment, but do not lapse into being controversial for the sake of it. Opinionated pieces can alienate some users and they can become tedious. Do not stray into pub bore territory
• Be careful with your use of humour. Humour can work well, but it should not be offensive. If you are in doubt, it is always best to err on the side of caution
• Be accurate. A lot of news is reported in a sensationalist way in a manner which exaggerates or even departs from the facts. In most sectors, a tabloid lack of concern for facts is completely inappropriate and will irritate users

Users may well be weary of the news as provided by the traditional media. The traditional media often like to focus on a story for a long period of time and we at Searchengineoptimization.co.uk do not recommend this. Your content can include quite a lot of industry news as long as it does not duplicate the behaviour of the old media. If social media marketing is added to the mix, it can be a real winner.

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