This article is part of a five-part tutorial on writing mortgage website content. In this installment, we will talk about the importance of writing unique and original blog content, as it relates to search engine traffic.
At a glance: Original content performs well in search engines. Duplicate, reprint or “stock” content does not perform well. So if you want to attract more borrowers to your mortgage blog via Google, Bing and Yahoo, you should be publishing your own original material. There is no getting around it.
Write Original Mortgage Blog Content to Boost Traffic
A lot of mortgage companies publish “stock” content onto their blogs. For instance, they might reprint articles that appear on dozens, or even hundreds, of other websites. This is a shortsighted blogging strategy that will limit your website marketing success.
The reason is that search engines generally don’t include multiple versions of the same document in their results pages. They only include one version — and it probably won’t be yours.
So if you’re publishing mortgage blog content that already exists on other sites, you have little-to-no chance of generating search engine traffic. And search engine traffic is one of the fundamental component of blogging success. Hence the importance of publishing original material.
If you’re serious about using a mortgage blog for marketing purposes — and you want to attract more home buyers and borrowers through the search engines — you need to write unique and original mortgage blog content. You could also have it written for you, by working with a company that specializes in producing this kind of content (like us!).
When you publish unique and original material online, you are giving search engines exactly what they want. For example, Google says the “key to creating a great website is to create the best possible experience for your audience with original and high quality content.” The same goes for other search engines.
The bottom line is this: If you write and publish high-quality, original mortgage blog content on a regular basis, you will steadily increase your search engine traffic over time. This in turn will produce more leads and help you grow your business. It’s a proven publishing model that we’ve been using for more than a decade — because it works.
How to Create Unique Content for Your Site
I know what you’re thinking. I’m a mortgage professional, not a writer. How could I possibly write blog content every week? Well, I won’t lie to you. Blogging isn’t easy. It takes time and effort to create high-quality content to support a blog-based marketing campaign. But there are some things you can do to simplify the task.
Repurpose email Q&A sessions: If you’re like most mortgage brokers and loan officers, you probably spend a lot of time answering questions via email. Questions about loan programs, pre-approval, underwriting, etc. This material can be repurposed to serve as mortgage blog content. After all, you wrote it yourself. So you own it. Just beef it up, if necessary, to create blog articles of 500 words or more. Optimize it for search engine visibility. Tailor it to your local geographical audience. And then fire away! Emails are a great way to create original content for a mortgage blog.
Hire a company to blog for you: If you’re convinced about the marketing potential of blogging, but you’re inclined to write your own original content, you can always hire a company to write it for you. This is one of the key services we offer to our clients. We’ve designed a monthly services package for companies that are serious about blogging. All of the mortgage blog content we produce is 100% unique and original. Topics are hand-picked based on traffic potential and relevance to the client’s market.
Download our free blogging book: If you’re ready to write your own original blog content, but need help choosing topics, be sure to download our mortgage blogging book. It’s a 63-page handbook that covers all aspects of blog-based marketing. It also provides a long list of topics and ideas to keep you blogging steadily for months. And did I mention it’s free?
Consultation calls available: Need some guidance, insight or advice? They’re just a phone call away. In addition to provide blogging services, we offer one-on-one consultation calls. One-on-one training is particularly useful for DIY bloggers who plan to write their own unique mortgage blog content. We can help you get started on the right foot, by sharing some of the lessons we’ve learned over the years.
