Are you looking for ways to generate more traffic for your website? Want to include more engaging content to encourage readers to share with their audience?

We share 14 types of content you should try in this infographic.

Here’s what makes the list:

  • Infographics
  • Memes
  • Videos
  • Guides
  • Book reviews
  • Opinion post (a.k.a. “Rant”)
  • Product reviews
  • How-to
  • Lists
  • Link pages
  • Ebooks
  • Case Studies
  • Podcasts
  • Interviews

Check out the infographic for more detail.

Tired of seeing lackluster results from your content marketing efforts? With so many types of content out there, it can be tough to pick which ones are best suited to helping you reach your goals.

A great starting point is to simply ask yourself why you’re creating each piece of content in the first place. The answer to that question will help you determine what type of content will get you the most results with the least amount of effort on your part.

To help make things clearer, here are 14 clever types of content to generate and engage website visitors when executed properly.

Infographics

For marketers, infographics are big business. They are an excellent source of engaging content that appeals to both search engines and site visitors alike.

Infographics can help establish credibility as an expert in your field by showing off unique knowledge or statistical data along with quotes from thought leaders in related fields.

The trick is making them interesting enough to encourage people to share them. Don’t make your infographic a dull text-heavy regurgitation of boring statistics.

Use colour combinations that catch the eye, and reinforce important points with well placed images or graphics. By breaking up large amounts of text with relevant images you will keep your readers engaged and interested in what you have to say.

Memes

If you are looking for some off-the-wall content, memes are great. Memes are photos with funny text on them that have become popular on social media.

They often include aspects about pop culture or common ideas in society, so they can relate to a wide audience. Some commonly used forms of memes online include reaction gifs and superimposing words over celebrities’ faces.

These kinds of content go viral quickly because people love sharing things that make them laugh—and shareability is essential when it comes to gaining traffic and engaging an audience.

Videos

Did you know that people love watching videos online? As businesses shift their marketing budget, they’re putting more into video content. And it’s not just about creating commercials for TV.

With YouTube gaining popularity every day, it’s becoming more and more common for small businesses to create YouTube channels where they can upload product demonstrations or explain how-to tutorials on using their products.

And with their easy embed tool you can display video on your website with ease.

Guides

A guide is a long-form piece of content that serves as an ultimate resource for your audience. Guides are great for answering questions people may have about your industry or area of expertise.

Unlike tips, guides provide in-depth knowledge on many aspects of your topic and can take several days or weeks to complete. They should be comprehensive enough that someone could read through them without having to leave your site.

Another feature differentiating guides from other types of content is their use of multimedia (like graphs, charts, etc.) to drive home key points.

While you may start out with just text or simple graphics to illustrate key points, eventually you will want to enhance your work with relevant visual elements like photos and videos.

Think outside-the-box with how you showcase various topics.

Book reviews

Reading other books in your niche is a great way to keep up with developments in your industry, while simultaneously driving traffic to your website. Publish book reviews on your site; it doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with what’s written—you can still promote it effectively.

If necessary, contact bloggers and websites that post similar content, offering them an exclusive sneak peek at your review (with permission from the author) in exchange for promotion. Book reviews are also an excellent chance to show off some witty writing skills.

Don’t be afraid to get creative! Showcase one main takeaway from each book review; not only will readers learn something new, but they may be able to apply some of these principles to their own endeavors.

Opinion post (a.k.a. “Rant”)

Opinions are a great way to generate conversations on your website. You can easily make a rant post by taking a controversial stance on an industry hot-button issue, or by writing about something you strongly disagree with.

This type of content gets readers talking, as they share their own opinions on your site and on social media. Just make sure your opinion is informed! Try browsing around on some other websites in your industry for inspiration.

Rant posts work best when it’s clear that you have an expertise in the subject—and that you’re not just spewing conjecture based on one side of your mouth.

Product reviews

It can be tough to stand out in today’s saturated market—especially if you sell products, rather than services. If your website relies on people making a purchase, product reviews can help boost that conversion rate.

Those you work with will be eager to share their thoughts and experience about your brand’s products, which can go a long way toward creating a positive first impression for new visitors.

When it comes to reviewing content, sharing pictures and videos is always best: The more information you provide potential customers, the easier it is for them to decide whether or not they should buy something from you.

Aim to create engaging posts using images and video; look at well-designed sites like YouTube or Vimeo for inspiration.

How-to posts

Do-it-yourselfers love how-to posts, and not just because they’re trying to save time and money. People also want help with their problems and struggles, and we all like knowing we’re not alone in those difficulties.

For example, if you sell an SEO service for eCommerce websites, then posting a step-by-step guide to optimising your product page will attract DIY customers who are doing it themselves.

If you sell fitness products, post content about doing cardio at home or weightlifting without equipment might be well received by your target audience looking for exercise alternatives.

Lists

If you’re looking for one type of content that drives traffic like no other, it’s lists. People love lists because they give them information in an easy-to-digest format.

Lists are also good for social media shares; readers can share your post easily by posting a portion or all of it on their profiles. It also allows you to rank higher in search engines, so you can attract more site visitors.

If you have multiple points to make and aren’t sure how to organise them into an engaging and cohesive piece of content, try breaking each point down into bullets and presenting each bullet as its own separate list item.

This way, people can scan your points quickly if they just want general knowledge about what you wrote about instead of reading every word carefully.

Link posts

One of the most popular types of content on social media is link post. Link posts are updates that include a link to an external website, along with an introduction or opinion about it.

When you publish a link post, the websites you link to who aren’t familiar with your business may click on your site and see your other work—in turn, they can become followers and engage with you on multiple platforms.

It’s a great way of garnering attention without being spammy. Not only do site visitors have a chance to interact with new content from your brand, but every time you share another brand’s material in addition to yours, you have a chance at building trust in return.

Ebooks

Make your website visitors happy by creating an ebook that covers a topic they are interested in. You can also include links to opt-in forms or sales pages within your ebook.

Not only will ebooks help you generate more website traffic, but it will help you keep repeat visitors coming back time and time again. Make sure you offer plenty of content in your ebook for people to consume; don’t make them search around for what they want!

Also, be sure to give away free PDF versions so that they can share with their friends easily via email or social media.

Case Studies

Creating a Case Study for your business can help build credibility with potential customers.

Conduct interviews with your satisfied customers and learn from them how they decided to do business with you, what they liked about your services, and what they would do differently in hindsight.

This type of post is great because it helps users understand you’re more than just another faceless company trying to sell something—you’re real people who want to provide value!

How did your client feel after their experience? Did they make any changes to their lifestyle? Did anything change for them since working with you?

You can answer these questions by interviewing your clients or talking to them after project completion. From there, craft out your findings into an interesting narrative using graphics (loved by all) to share insights on what worked well and where improvements could be made.

Podcasts

Everyone and their grandmother has a podcast these days. To stand out from all that noise, however, you’ll need to invest in high-quality audio and keep your episodes short and snappy.

Most listeners will stop tuning into podcasts after 30 minutes or so; try to keep yours under 15 minutes to really engage and retain your audience. If you can record one per week (or every other week), even better!

Think about what niche you could speak on to an engaged audience. For example: if you’re working with writers, create an author interview series; if you run yoga classes, maybe talk about how to get started practicing yoga at home…the possibilities are endless!

Then think about what platform works best for your podcast, whether it be iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play Music or something else entirely. Then embed in on your website to give visitors a reason to stick around.

Interviews

Interviewing experts and thought leaders is a great way to generate quality content and engage website visitors, as well as establish you as an authority. Ask those involved in your industry or those with a specific skill set or niche about their daily routine.

You can even ask those who speak at conferences whether they’d be willing to give an interview after their session. Share these interviews on social media, but also create a separate page on your site for them – especially if they involve video or audio content.

This makes it easy for potential clients to find what they need quickly and easily. The page also doubles as a direct landing page so you don’t lose valuable traffic when followers click through from a social post!

Mark Walker-Ford

Director, Red Website Design