C2 Helps Me Build A Loyal Community

by Mo
(Secsportsfan.com)

Content 2.0 is the most significant SBI module to me. It helps builds a loyal community; giving visitors who choose to participate a feeling of "ownership" of the site with me. It helps keep my site fresh with relevant (to my visitors) information. Visitor submissions tell me what's on their minds and gives me lots of good ideas about what I should be thinking and writing about. In fact, I recently added a Tier 2 page titled "BCS Controversy" based on a C2 submission.

C2 submissions greatly strengthen the page they link to which helps me rank for "hard to rank" keywords and the submissions themselves rank for long-tail keywords that are likely to attract the type of traffic that will also participate in submitting C2's. So, they work to move my site up the search engine rankings for tons of keywords ( I'm found for over 40,000 a month now) and this builds traffic.

The longer I'm in the business, the more I realize that my time is the most important and valuable asset I have to further grow the business. C2 leverages my time by allowing others to build much of the content of the site for me. Free content written by others -- now that's leverage!

One of the great things about SBI C2 is that the submissions become their own pages with their own url and title. I don't think other similar C2 type things (like wordpress) does that. And, it's so easy to change the title (consistent with the content of the page) to go after a juicy longtail phrase. If I have one tip, that may be it -- don't let your visitors nonsense title stand -- take 10 seconds to change it to something that you know someone might search for.

Also, when you get a good submission (you'll know the good ones, they are lengthy and intelligent) -- it is well worth your time to spend some time on those. Maybe add some subheadings and links to other pages on your site. Link to that C2 from other pages on your site and even blogs on other sites. I've had many of those high quality C2 pages become major traffic creators.

I also elect to have comments on the same page as the submission. Theory being that longer pages will rank better and, of course, generally visitor submissions tend to be on the shorter side. Not always, but usually.

As for what I've done to attract submissions. Not much really. All I do is try to write about interesting, preferably controversial, things that people are talking about in my niche. And, people are happy to share their opinion.

Based on my C2 success with SEC Sports Fan; I've started 2 new sites with the idea that once I have the bones up they'll be fleshed out and grow primarily with C2 submissions. I'll focus on keeping the sites organized, monetization efforts, links -- but most all of the new content will come through C2. So, for the most part those sites will run entirely with C2 fuel. Again, that's leverage!

~Mo