Jason Unger

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Web development isn't easy. There's no get-rich-quick scheme (that actually works) or a golden lamp with a genie waiting to grant you three wishes.

And too often, site development goes the way of the quick-and-easy. Put together a nice design, add some official-looking text, and wait for the traffic to pour in.

But it doesn't work like that.

Unless you've made a name for yourself offline — and your audience is guaranteed to shift online (rarely is this the case) — you're nothing if not your Web content. And that's why it should be your number one priority in Web development.

• 1. It's what your audience wants.
  Your audience does not come to you for your fancy design (unless you are, of course, a Web designer). They come to hear what you have to say or see what you have to offer them. That's your content.
• 2. It will keep your audience coming back.
  When you've got good content, your audience will come back for more of the same. They won't be coming back to look at your design over and over again. Unless they're stealing it.
• 3. It's the most difficult thing to create.
  Now I'm not saying that you aren't a good content producer, but it takes time, effort and testing to really find content that works. Some content scores, while other doesn't. Why is that? That's why it's difficult.
• 4. It's what you continuously need to work on.
  A design will last for a long time. You're expected to pump out new content on a regular basis. If you don't, you won't build up a regular audience.
• 5. It's what sells.
  Trying to make money off of your site? Advertisers will pay up when the audience is there. The audience comes for the content.
• 6. It's what distinguishes you.
  Whatever your target market is, most likely someone else is going after it, too. Your content will set you apart from the competition.
• 7. It's what helps you grow your audience.
  Information is what draws people in; if your content is able to speak to a broad base of users, you'll expand your core audience to include the fringes.
• 8. It's your bread and butter.
  It is your core offering. Without content, you've got nothing, except for maybe a pretty design and some Adsense banners.
• 9. It's timeless.
  Okay, not all content is timeless — news, for example, is not normally — but content shouldn't disappear. Not everyone will read your content right away. Someone finding it months after you write it will see it for the first time; they should still find it useful.
• 10. It's you.
  Your content defines who you are. It tells your audience what you have to offer them. You're making a name for yourself with that content — don't you want it to be a good one?