Eco content – about ecology in the virtual world

Littering the internet

There is no need to convince anyone that we are gradually “transferring” everything from the real world to the virtual world. The internet is both a blessing and a curse for society. On one hand, we are “up to date” with everything that interests us, but on the other hand, we are overwhelmed with an abundance of information. Over time, the internet becomes a real “dumpster.”

So not only the real world, but also the virtual one can become polluted. But what can pollute the internet? Primarily:

• fillers, or junk content;
• posting mass content;
• introducing chaos on our company websites or informational channels;
• infrequent cleaning of account content or social media content.

Junk news is not spam. Fillers are created to generate traffic and improve ranking in search engines. In essence, the content of such messages itself does not matter much – the attempt to “get in” the search engine algorithm is what counts, so that people click on the appropriate links and banners. Such messages do not actually contribute anything new and valuable to the internet, they are useless – but they exist.

The internet trash is also created due to ill-considered marketing strategies. There is a mistaken belief that in order to be visible, one must constantly release new content to the internet – the more, the better. However, browser algorithms have changed tactics for a while now, leading to an increasingly common eco-trend promoting rarer but more valuable content. So, it’s not about quantity, but quality.

Our own website can also be a trash can of content, unfortunately. If you upload texts or graphics without a plan or idea, inconsistent with the overall purpose of your business, it also negatively affects how search engine algorithms perceive it. If content is too vague or lacks focus, it provides no real value.

How to deal with it? Eco content comes to the rescue!

What is eco content?

What does this mean in practice? Here are a few ways to effectively apply the eco content trend.

Create valuable content

If you don’t have anything interesting and useful to convey to your audience at the moment, simply don’t write anything. Writing just to “fill” the time gap between posts or blog articles will not bring the expected benefits, such as better positioning in the search engine. If you want to emphasize your activity online, do it on multiple levels (a good example is commenting on other people’s posts or responding to comments on your own content). Remember that Google algorithms also dislike low-quality content, which can limit their visibility in the search engine!

Have a plan of action

Systematicity can prove to be crucial for your online activity. It is better to plan the schedule for publishing posts in advance and have a few topics in reserve, just in case. For various reasons, we don’t always have the opportunity to prepare valuable content “on demand”, so if you have an interesting idea at any given moment, write it down and come back to it when you have free time. Always have backup content ready for an emergency or a slow period.

Utilize content recycling

Did you create valuable content? There’s nothing stopping you from revisiting it. Content recycling involves reusing existing content to give it a second life. This doesn’t mean copying the text and reposting it unchanged. Based on existing content (article, blog, podcast, infographic, transcription), create completely new content – preferably using a different form of communication. For example, if you created a blog article, you could summarize it in the form of an infographic or divide it into several podcast episodes.

Create evergreen content

Instead of constantly creating new short articles that will soon lose their relevance and value, create so-called evergreen content. These are perpetually relevant pieces of content that don’t require frequent updates because they are universal.

What else does eco content mean?

It’s just like in the real world: if you want to be eco-friendly, separate your waste and frequently tidy up your surroundings. Now let’s apply the above comparison to virtual reality.

Waste segregation, according to the idea of eco content, in this case will mean categorizing content. We do not introduce chaos and explosive mixtures. Each content should have its own place – that’s why you have different tabs on your website. If you maintain order on it, your audience will notice and surely appreciate it. The same goes for the quality of the text itself – edit your texts, correct errors, take care of appropriate structure and clarity.

Organizing also means getting rid of garbage. However, you don’t have to do it literally by permanently deleting completed texts. Utilize content recycling and give them a new life, perhaps in a different, more transparent form.