There is no doubt that content continues to be a vital part of any websites SEO campaign. Google Penguin and subsequent updates have reinforced the need for companies to invest and put more time and resources into a content strategy. Fly by the seat of your pants content writing will leave you disorganized and you will have a tough time keeping up with the production of high quality content on a consistent basis.

With the pressure to create large volumes of content, there is a need for companies to identify effective strategies that also fit within their budget. Not every company can afford to open their wallet and expand their budget for content. So, there is a need to identify ways to generate more content without blowing your budget out of the water.

Enter User Generated Content

One of the most effective methods to alleviate the pressure of trying to produce an increased amount of high quality content without destroying your budget is to look to your users to create content for you. User generated content (UGC) is content on websites, blogs and social media platforms that is created by the users. Rather than have your team of writers develop the content internally and post it on your website, it is your followers, fans, and website visitors that create some of the content.

User generated content can take on many different forms. They include:

  • Discussion boards and forums
  • Comments
  • Wikis
  • Blog Posts
  • Social Media engagement
  • Customer reviews
  • Audio/video/multimedia

User generated content has become extremely popular, case in point, two of the most popular websites in the world – YouTube and Wikipedia. Both of these sites are based primarily on user generated content and have become wildly successful using this model.

Stay tuned for part two, which discusses effective user generated content strategies and the benefits of user generated content.

作者简介：

作者 Nolan Wilson

Nolan Wilson is a freelance writer and owner of nolanwilsonfreelance.com. He specializes in content development, SEO, social media and article marketing, and works with SMBs to help them create content for their websites that enhances internet marketing and SEO campaigns. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Media, Information & Technolculture, and a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Western Ontario.