One of the common mistakes Webmasters make is they don’t define who they are targeting.
Now that everyone is learning you can profit online by writing about any topic and adding Google ads, people are often mislead.
It’s not just about publishing as much content as you can on one subject and waiting for the money to roll in.
Your site needs to have a focus, voice and personality. You should talk to a specific group and meet their needs.
I got an email yesterday from someone looking to do an information site on football.
He asked me if 3 pages on a certain football subject was enough for an article on his site. Right away I could tell he was missing the point.
That’s not something I can answer because I don’t know who he’s targeting or his site’s main focus (other than football). Clearly he wasn’t sure either.
Know Your Intended Audience
If you have not clearly defined who your site is for, then you run the risk of building pages and pages of content with no direction.
On the flip side, when you know exactly who your site is for, writing content becomes much easier because you can write about the things your audience has experienced, questions they may have, problems they’ve faced, etc.
For example, if you are building a self esteem help site for female girls between the ages of 13 and 19, that begins your site’s roadmap. You now have a clearly defined group and subject matter you can focus on.
Knowing who your site is for should begin giving you ideas for the kind of topics you will cover.
You should never have to ask someone what should you write about. If you are passionate and knowledgeable enough about the subject and understand how your information will appeal to a specific group… that’s half the battle and your content will begin writing itself.
Remember, don’t write for yourself. Write for your audience. Make sure the goals for your site are beyond “I want to make money.”
Don’t we all.
Your first order of business, however, is to appeal to a specific group. Focus on what will interest them, and the content generation won’t be a chore.
And the real scary thing is you may actually enjoy yourself and make a little money in the process. 
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great website and articles. I’ve found that writing can be a chore from time to time. I run a handful of sites and have sometimes found that I need to use outside help to create content.
Jeff
http://www.webposter.com/blog
writing content is very fun for me, it just takes up all my time.
I think it is important to write your own content and rely very little on other people content.
Hi Lisa! Your site is very inspiring and it just made me pushed me more to focus on learning how to build my website. I actually have mine now but it’s design is a default in ‘multiply.’ I wanted to have my own website in blogspot but I really find it hard to create even a simple banner hahaha. so i made myself contented in blogging in the blog portion of multiply. I wanted to somehow earn money from blogging but to no avail coz multiply seemed not to support adsense.
You think blogspot.com is ok for me to start a website or would you recommend wordpress (but i cant get through signing up coz of some url problem).
Thanks alot, Lisa. More power.
I love writing my own content for my website, It gives me great joy in sharing my experience with other.
I know what am writing about, so it will be hard for someone else to write for me. I write about home decorating ideas. I have been in the home interior decorating business for 10 years, and have a passion for it.
Hi Lisa. I am a newbie to search engine marketing and find your articles very helpful and to the point. I look forward to your future articles. Keep up the good work, thanks, John
Thanks Lisa for the inspiration! This has one of my main concerns as I get into this business.
Edgar …
Follow on Twitter: @krenee76
Thank you for addressing the audience aspect of content writing. As a writer and writing instructor, I constantly remind my students that you have to consider your audience – your language use and style should all be geared specifically for your audience. More importantly, you must know what they care about. Another aspect of content writing to consider when writing for you blog should be “Purpose”. Every writer should ask themself, “What is the purpose or goal of writing this piece? If you don’t have a clear goal, chances are you’re going to ramble aimlessly. Thanks for your informative site!
The Affiliate Marketer’s Help Desk’s last blog post..Where’d the Time Flow? Time Management Strategies for Affiliate Marketers
Follow on Twitter: @jwall777
Its so important really to know your target audience well while writing. Most websites suffer from too much content that may not be relevant at all.
Thanks for your observations that we writers can identify with…