You’ve probably heard this “silver bullet strategy” from just about every Internet Marketing Agency that has come your way: “You need UNIQUE CONTENT!”
That is completely true. Your content shouldn’t be cut and pasted from someone else’s website, and it shouldn’t be stock content copied from society brochures. However, most of you probably have unique content already.
In fact, most websites (95% or higher) already have unique content – that is, if by “unique content” we’re referring to how the words on the pages are arranged in different ways like how we all speak about the same things in different ways.
Those who steal a paragraph of text from another website and reword each sentence using synonyms or similar phrasing technically have unique content, but in essence it is the same material. There is nothing truly unique about it.
Unique Content Is No Longer a Differentiator
Unless you are the only plastic surgeon in the world to perform a particular procedure or you have the only website out there discussing something in your field, then your content no longer benefits your website from a “unique” perspective.
How many different ways can you describe the recovery process for breast augmentation or the surgical steps involved in performing a tummy tuck? There may be many different ways to phrase these things, but if every website has content about the surgical recovery process or what types of breast implants patients should get this year, it’s no longer unique.
Local Content Has Replaced Unique Content
To truly stand out in 2017, the content on your website or blog must provide local value, meaning it must be relevant and valuable to the people in your geographical region. The internet is transitioning to local search and queries to better serve its users. Most users now interact with a search engine in order to obtain information relative to their location.
To provide local value, share useful information about your area and how your services benefit your local demographic. For example, one of the most successful articles we ever created for one of our clients was on how breast augmentation could affect runners in the Orange County Marathon.
This blog succeeded because:
- It was relevant to the geographic location.
- It was timely since the marathon was soon to take place.
- People were searching for answers related to running and breast augmentation.
- It was related to the services provided by our client.
Rather than trying to make the same content sound “unique,” find a way to stand out in your community. Share useful information with a local spin. Get involved and interview prominent local figures for their take on your particular industry. Google loves legitimate local signals pertaining to your industry and will continue to embrace their move toward locally relevant content. If you can give Google what it wants, your website and your business will be better off for it.
If you can manage to truly integrate your local area with the content on your site, you will unlock the potential for incredible growth in the coming years.
