The worst thing you can be online is stale. It’s easy to see who updates their website or blog regularly, and who doesn’t. But updating your website with the same material isn’t enough if you want to keep your readers interested.
You need new content and something fresh and original for your audience to look at. Naturally it should illustrate your main points on your site as well.
5 Content Ideas for Inspiration
Antique Photos
There are endless stock photos available online. We have all seen the same photos repeatedly on websites and it’s quite frankly overdone and boring.
While the pretty girl might make selling car insurance easier, does she have to be from this decade? Or even this century?
Antique photos are available through several websites. You can find stunning vintage images and photographs through several sources including the United States National Archives and the Library of Congress.
Other websites like Wiki Commons and Flickr Commons have wide ranges of vintage images as well including many the Smithsonian museum has made available. Just be sure to check for copyright legalities before including them.
Illustrated Maps
You may not think that maps have a place on your website, but you’d be surprised just how many uses there are for illustrated maps.
Who doesn’t like to look at new perspectives of their city, country or campus? Maria Rabinky’s website, includes a wide range of possibilities for illustrated maps you might consider creating or displaying with your content.
Feature a map of your headquarters or your spot in the city. Make your building larger than life in your neighborhood. Illustrated maps are beautiful illustrations of cities and travel destinations as well.
Infographics
While not exactly new to the scene, many websites have yet to embrace the full power of the infographics. These illustrated diagrams make an excellent backdrop to just about anything – the trick is finding one that suits your purpose or having one created to be a perfect fit.
While there are many infographics available online, you can make your own using simple templates like those found on Visual.ly or contract a graphic designer to make something more specific for your site.
Modern Art
Artists are always looking for exposure, and you’re always looking for something new to put on your site. What could be better than helping out artists while also giving your readers something new and interesting to look for with your posts?
Modern art can take many forms, but you can find an excellent collection of it on virtually any photo sharing website and some museum sites including Flickr photostreams and collections. Be sure to read the permissions carefully on modern art images and contact the artist about featuring his or her work if there is any question.
Bizarre News or Images
There are so many strange things occurring on the internet it’s hard to believe we tend to overlook so many of them. Those strange headlines and images often work much like traditional link bait, making people want to click and read more.
Of course, the trick is finding the bizarre stories that aren’t already circulating all over Facebook or websites and being sure that your crazy image actually suits your website and the message you’re trying to convey.
There are too many sites to name that specialize in bizarre news and awkward or strange photographs. “Mike and Doug” run an entire website dedicated to awkward family photographs, for example. And you can always find more than you ever wanted to know about society through Oversharers.
Conclusion
When considering content, it’s easy to get trapped in the patterns you’ve used for months or even years. It’s worth it, however, to try something new. Give your readers something new and interesting to look at or catch the attention of some new site visitors. The internet is constantly changing – shouldn’t you be changing your content and website, too?
