How much Content is enough?!

Content
1

I am building a website that will be heavy on content (e.g. news, articles, commentary) from scratch.

How much content is enough content to go live with my website?!

What do I mean?

Well, if I had 500-1,000 pages of solid content like the NY Times that would be great. (Duh!) But no new company or website is going to start off at that level. (And if you did wait until you had that much content, you’d likely be bankrupt before you ever opened!)

So, as a rule of thumb, “how much is enough”?

For example, if you went to a new website that had 5 really interesting web pages or articles, would that be enough to make you come back?

What about 10 quality pages?

20? 30?

Over time I will have no problem writing hundreds and hundreds of pages of quality content, however, that will take time!

And if I wait too long to achieve “perfection” then my website will never get off the ground?!

Hope that makes sense?! :-/

So what do you think is a good compromise?

Thanks,

Debbie

2

I don’t believe there’s a rule on how much content you can have - but if its all unique, then go for it. Why? The more content you have, the more traffic you can possibly get if you promote a lot.

:slight_smile:

I’m a content writer myself, so I tend to write a lot. I never tell myself that I’m writing too much.

3

Definitely do not wait for “perfection” 'cause God knows you’ll never get anywhere like that. I guess it’s easy when you think of it in blog terms. Me, I’m impatient, so on the last sites I made, I just jumped right in with zero :V I’d say ten or so as a bare minimum is a good idea, though, because you really don’t want to be writing a ton of stuff and getting impatient about getting into the action. Ten is a good amount for new visitors to peruse.

4

If I go to a website that has two or three pages of interesting content, I often bookmark it and go back to it in a week or two. If it has more, I keep it bookmarked. If it’s the “same old, same old” I take it off my bookmarks.

It isn’t what you start with that makes or breaks your website, it’s how you keep it up once you’ve started.

5

Good advice, and I agree. But don’t you also think how much content there is makes a bigger impact whether or not people return?

If you found a new store that had 5 sweaters that you just loved, but that was all it had, what are the chances you’d return with the hopes that they would have more sweaters next time (or possibly other items like shoes)?

It seems to me that the Internet is mature enough now, that people’s expectations are quite a bit higher than they were in the mid 1990’s, and that even if you are a small Ma & Pa shop, they still expect you to compete with bigger companies.

Debbie

6

If I found a store that had 5 sweaters I just loved, I would ask them when they expected their next shipment of new ANYTHING and I would definitely be back to take a look.

Even if you are a Ma & Pa startup, you can do wonders with a small website, as long as you have what your visitors want to see. That comes with knowing who it is that you want to visit you, making them feel welcome once they get there (without saying “Welcome to My Website”), helping them find what they came to see, and making it easy for them to take the next step… whatever that step may be.

I used to sell real estate. When I started, I’d take someone out and show them three houses, then in a few days I’d show them three more. Then I’d call them to make another appointment and often find out they had already made a purchase through another agent. I learned real quick to find out what my clients’ desires, needs, and capabilities were before I showed them those first three houses. It’s amazing how much more fun (an definitely more profitable) it is to show three and sell one than to show six (or more) and lose the sale completely.

Quantity isn’t anything. If you can show your visitors that you have the quality that they need, want, and are capable of getting, you will make them into your customer or, in the case of web visitors, someone who comes back to you again and again.

7

I can see that happening in-person, but online, you probably only get one shot, and most people won’t take the time to ask you when there will be more content/products/whatever.

If you don’t have what they want, too bad for you. (Sorta like resumes… People make their minds up in the first 60 seconds.)

Even if you are a Ma & Pa startup, you can do wonders with a small website, as long as you have what your visitors want to see. That comes with knowing who it is that you want to visit you, making them feel welcome once they get there (without saying “Welcome to My Website”), helping them find what they came to see, and making it easy for them to take the next step… whatever that step may be.

Hopefully that is true, but back to my original question, there must be some number out there when it comes to pages and content.

I mean, if I wrote the world’s most most accurate/concise/passionate/inspiring article, but my website consisted of ONE page, don’t you think people would think that’s strange?!

To me, having maybe a 12-15 decent articles of content might be enough to not look like a fool, but who knows?! :-/

If I could get up to 30, 40, 50 really insightful articles, then I would feel more comfortable, but that could take me a few months.

So, I am torn over how long I wait to uncover my website to the world.

On one hand, the sooner the better to start letting people know I exist.

On the other hand, if things don’t look complete or compelling enough, then not only will I lose those initial visitors, but they may tell of of their friends what a lame website I have and then that is a larger issue. :blush:

Since I’m not selling handbags or sweaters - where just a few - might be enough, I’m trying to be more cautious. Especially since there is SO MUCH decent content online, and for free!! :eek:

Thanks,

Debbie

P.S. Are you still in real estate?

8

So don’t wait to be asked - tell them up front.

When I first started my site I listed all the categories and sub-categories that I intended to populate with articles even though most of them were initially empty (I did have an introduction for each so that the category page that listed the sub-categories contained some information even when there weren’t any articles attached). That way people could both see the handful of articles that the site started out with and also get some idea of how I intended to develop the site. It took me a year before I added the first article into the last of the sub-categories that I originally listed (although some sub-categories had quite a few articles by then since I had about 45 sub-categories and wrote about 250 articles during that first year).

9

I don’t think the content should be too long because then it looks like a textbook or documentation. Unless it is meant to be that way :slight_smile:
add images and figures to keep the reader’s attention and do not dwell too long on each topic.
The book “Brain Rules” taught me quite a bit on focus and attention of the audience; therefore, making me a better lecturer a d content writer.

Also make it dynamic if you can. Or at least parts of the page.

For example Reddt— the posts on the main page change all the time and they are supplemented by votes and comments

10

Good point, but I wasn’t contemplating article length. More like, “How many articles is enough?”

add images and figures to keep the reader’s attention and do not dwell too long on each topic.

A little off topic, but good reminders.

Thanks,

Debbie

11

Great way is to start with some interesting contents … if you’re going live with 200 contents but they are not good so that means nothing …so Start with some intresting ones .

12

As has been said before me, their is never to much content in a website. I’m not bookmarked to any website that doesn’t update content 4+ times a day. Sure, they are news websites, but even for a targeted-market, such as finance, they need to have a unique perspective vs. the competition. It doesn’t always have to be text, but videos or audio updates are sufficient to retain and gain potential clients/members.

Content is king, time to rule the kingdom.

13

(e.g. news, articles, commentary)

I’d say stop adding articles when you run out of news/commentary.

Imagine flipping on the news only to hear “we’ve run out.”

Ten quality pages? Twenty? In whose estimation would that be, I’ve ceased to wonder. A ‘content management’ system would, in no uncertain terms make it clear the judge is not somebody who has never read a single article on the site.

Real content management is where analytics, even version testing, tells you how much, how many, and even (yes) what’s next. Doable with today’s technology. Just not with today’s mindset.

Rating tells TV news crews when they’ve run out. Analytics tells print publications what’s enough (length and number of articles). With the web and the much touted CMS, we’ve got kanoodling in a forum – rank speculation akin to the mediaeval pastime of figuring out how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

And guess what? One commentator might get maximum readership with one article of 500 words every ten days. Another – on the same site – might get maximum readershiip at 250 words three times a week. …or 625 words once a month …or 250 characters every twenty-two minutes.

It’s all about capturing interest and holding interest. And that differs based on the topic and the ability of the writer, and the target reader.

In an era where the CMS actually existed, this would not be a thread, and certainly not a point of conjecture for guessing about in a forum. Those letters C-M-S stand for something. And, like it or not, you won’t get an actionable answer to such questions until those letters do begin to stand for something.

14

DCrux,

Was there a point in all of your rant? :goof:

Not sure where you were going, but it didn’t answer my original question.

Thanks,

Debbie

15

I think his answer provided an excellent response to your question. To paraphrase, stop writing when you have nothing left to say. If you are putting articles on your site only for Search Engines or to fill up space, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons. Your visitors will surely recognise it and Search Engines are becoming intuitive enough to pick up on it as well.

You have a lot of good answers here. Most have told you to go ahead with your site and keep adding to it to bring back your visitors. Web pages aren’t a book that you go back to in order to begin a new chapter.

Here’s another consideration: Just how quickly do you believe your site will be noticed once launched? Viral marketing is slow, unless you already have a huge readership from some other source that you can tap into and Search Engines may take up to 6 months to move even the best new sites up in their indexes. Additionally, as you have already noted, you must give your visitors (both human and robotic) a reason to return. There is no better reason to go back to a site than to see what is new.

16

But that response misses the entire point of my original post…

My question was, “What is a sufficient amount of content (e.g. # of articles) to go live with my website?”

I stated several times that “I have no shortage of quality things to say, HOWEVER, if I wait to write everything I have to say before I “go live” then it will be year 3030 and I’ll be bankrupt (and dead)!!” :rofl:

To say

stop writing when you have nothing left to say.
completely misses the point of this post!

If you are putting articles on your site only for Search Engines or to fill up space, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

When did I mention SEO?

(People who build their websites on SEO usually have crap to offer in the first place. If you build a quality website with quality content, that satisfies some core need, then SEO becomes an after-thought.)

You have a lot of good answers here.

I don’t disagree, but that last post sounded like an unrelated rant.

Most have told you to go ahead with your site and keep adding to it to bring back your visitors.

I agree about continually adding relevant, and quality content, but then again, would you “go live” if your website only had ONE article - as good as it may be?

I’m thinking 10-15 quality articles might be enough to look presentable. But others may think more or less would work…

Here’s another consideration: Just how quickly do you believe your site will be noticed once launched?

Well, the plan is to promote my business in the physical world and then to have my website provide supporting evidence/content/support. (That is why SEO is meaningless to me at this point.)

I am going out to my customers/potential customers directly, not waiting for them to find me on Google. (Sorta like you might have gone out and found people who wanted to buy a home, and then you referred them to your website, while continuing to work with them directly. Versus, sitting around tapping your nails hoping someone online - who wants to buy a home - finds you online.)

Viral marketing is slow, unless you already have a huge readership from some other source that you can tap into and Search Engines may take up to 6 months to move even the best new sites up in their indexes.

“Viral Marketing” makes me feel ill! Yuck!

However, for those that DO come to my website on a “referral basis”, I want to make sure that they can easily find me (e.g. I’m indexed in the Search Engines) and that I have enough quality content, that people take me seriously.

(Just my opinion, but I wouldn’t hang around or go back to a website with one product or one article, because it would look amateurish…)

Additionally, as you have already noted, you must give your visitors (both human and robotic) a reason to return. There is no better reason to go back to a site than to see what is new.

I agree. But again, I wouldn’t be curious to return to a website with one article.

Would I go back to a website with 15 thought-provoking articles? Yes.

What is your “magic number” (or range), though? :wink:

Debbie

17

There is no magic number. Yet, now we are getting somewhere.

First of all, while a virus may make you sick, viral marketing is exactly what you said you want to do – promote your business to your existing customer base and direct them to your website for more information. So what is the supporting information you want them to see? (That’s rhetorical, no need to answer.)

I would make sure that my website was well-stocked to answer any questions or provide any solutions that I had recommended off line. You might be able to do it in two or three articles or it may take a dozen or more.

Another consideration is how long you believe it will take to write the quality pieces you want to display on your website and if your business is suffering because you currently don’t have a website online at all. If, in your estimation, it isn’t, then go ahead and wait until you are comfortable that what you have will accomplish the your goals. If the reverse is true, launch the website and add to it as quickly as you can.

In short, if the website is a business strategy, then plan it based on the goals you have set for your business. Launch it when you feel it will meet your objectives.

18

I think what DCrux was saying or ranting about was that if you’ve got some worthwile content ready to go then you may as well pull the pin and launch the site. Since we live in a time of content management systems, your site will be dynamic and you can continue creating content as you go. It will be a work in progress or rather an organic work that grows as you add to it.

As Shyflower has mentioned, your site won’t automatically go to the top of the search engines right from the get go and you may as well get it out sooner than later so that search engines can start slurping it up.

I think the consensus is that if the site is built and you have sufficient content to fill the gap as you add more then launch.

19

As long as we’re making progress! :slight_smile:

First of all, while a virus may make you sick, viral marketing is exactly what you said you want to do – promote your business to your existing customer base and direct them to your website for more information. So what is the supporting information you want them to see? (That’s rhetorical, no need to answer.)

Okay, my bad. I had never heard of that term. It sounded (and still does sound) “dirty”.

I’m old-fashioned, and a better term for what I plan on doing is “word-of-mouth” promotion.

I would make sure that my website was well-stocked to answer any questions or provide any solutions that I had recommended off line.

Good point.

You might be able to do it in two or three articles or it may take a dozen or more.

Okay, that is a start. (I like numbers!)

Another consideration is how long you believe it will take to write the quality pieces you want to display on your website and if your business is suffering because you currently don’t have a website online at all.

That is the $10,000 question (that I’m pining over)!

I think it is better to err on the side of getting to market sooner with less content (but lots of updates) versus a slower time-to-market with more content.

If, in your estimation, it isn’t, then go ahead and wait until you are comfortable that what you have will accomplish the your goals. If the reverse is true, launch the website and add to it as quickly as you can.

Can I have both?! :smiley:

In short, if the website is a business strategy, then plan it based on the goals you have set for your business. Launch it when you feel it will meet your objectives.

Okay, a few good tidbits there!

Any one else want to comment on “How much content is enough?”

Thanks,

Debbie

20

Hhhm that is a good question. I used to have 10 articles per page on my blog and then have the user be able to go to a new page with older and ten more articles.
however, if the articles were long then The page became massive in length

So how many articles is too litttle or not enough is my version of the question.