As a site owner who is looking for tips and inspiration on how and what to write, you are going to find lots of bloggers saying “it’s all about content” and just as many saying “it’s all about the relationship.” So, who should you believe?

I think you should believe me, of course! And I am here to tell you that it’s actually a combination of the two. Good content draws people to you. What you do when they come is what makes the difference. So, lets start at the beginning and  focus on what you need to do to produce good content?

1. Be Informative

Avoid the never-ending rants, the “I hate it when” posts/articles. They just make you look bad. Instead, show me the good from across your industry. No one does everything perfectly, but your competition has some good points or they wouldn’t be competition. I am likely going to find them and research them anyway, so you pointing out the differences in a positive manner makes me likely to trust you, makes you look authentic. And, if I go to your competition based on the differences, chances are I wouldn’t have been a good client for you from the start.

2. Be Helpful

Solve my problem, however big or small it may be. If it’s a big enough issue for me to go looking for a solution, help me resolve it. If it’s a small problem and you helped me fix it at no charge (either with informative website content or helping me find the solution through some one-on-one dialogue), you better believe I will be looking at you first when it comes time to buy the fix to a more complicated problem. Why? Because we want to pay back those who help us out.

3. Be Genuine

Write as if I am in your store or, better yet, as if I am sitting across the table having a conversation with you. Gary Vaynerchuk , during a recent virtual tradeshow session I attended, said it best when he said “You have to do business today like the butcher did in the 1930s: make it personal.”

4. Don’t be Sales-y

If the first thing you do is try to sell me your products and services , you’ve lost me and any chance of getting me to buy from you. Know. Like. Trust….in that order.

5. Show your experience

Show me that you are an expert in your field. It doesn’t matter what your field is. If you sell shoes, write articles on shoes—perhaps a history of a particular style of shoe or a how-to guide on choosing the best running shoe. Write about your field, and instill in me, your audience, a level of confidence that you know your stuff.

6. And Finally, Give Your Knowledge Away

You don’t need to give away any trade secrets you have, but share your knowledge with your readers. They came to your site for a reason: they are looking for information on the subject in which you have expertise. Helping them by giving something like a free ebook on your subject will keeps you top-of-mind when it comes time for them to purchase.

Following these simple guidelines will not only help you get the readers you are looking for but also make it much easier to have a relationship with them that will convert readers to actual customers.